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Charlotte Amalie
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Antigua Stadium Getting Final Touches for Cricket World Cup

Feb. 9, 2007 — The twin-island nation of Antigua and Barbuda is abuzz with Cricket World Cup 2007 fever. The tiny nation, with the help of the Chinese government, has built and is now putting the finishing touches on a brand-spanking-new stadium.
Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, named after its most famous native son and arguably one of the greatest cricketers the world has ever known, appears almost complete — with most of the ongoing work centered on the surrounding landscape.
With one of the country's main highways running right by the new facility, daily commuters get a clear view of the hundreds of workers busily paving roads, planting palm trees, laying topsoil etc., as they push to have everything in place for the competition’s opening day.
Antigua and Barbuda will be one of nine countries across the Caribbean that will host World Cup 2007 matches, and all have either built new stadiums or renovated their existing ones.
The countries tabbed for 2007 action are Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, St. Vincent, St. Kitts and Nevis, Grenada, St. Lucia, Guyana, Antigua and Barbuda, and Barbados.
The kickoff ceremony for the World Cup will be Sunday, March 11 at Jamaica’s newly built Trelawny Stadium and will complete with a grand finale on April 28 in Barbados. Sixteen of the top cricketing nations in the world will be vying for the ninth ICC World Cup Trophy.
From the beginning, teams will be split into groups of four where they will play through group stage in St. Kitts and Nevis, Trinidad and Tobago, St. Lucia, and Jamaica, moving on from the best eight to the super eight matches in Antigua and Barbuda, Grenada, Guyana and Barbados. Then it's on to the semifinals in Jamaica and St. Lucia and to the finals back in Barbados.
The 20,000-seat Sir Vivian Richards Stadium is set to host the second-round super eight matches. One can bet that V.I. cricket fans as well as fans from the surrounding islands and the rest of the cricketing world, will be converging in March on Antigua and Barbuda for cricket, lovely cricket.
The 16 teams participating in World Cup 2007 are:
–Australia
–Bermuda
–Canada
–Kenya
–Bangladesh
–New Zealand
–Pakistan
–England
–Netherlands
–India
–Ireland
–Scotland
–South Africa
–Sri Lanka
–West Indies
–Zimbabwe
Click here for the entire world cup schedule.

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