Farley made the charge as he spoke on behalf of the Government at the official launch of World Cup Barbados Inc. at the Barbados Pavilion.

“Barbados, because of its tourism industry has the capacity and experience and potential to continue to cater to a larger set of visitors.

“Not only this but Barbados has an excellent pool of very trained and highly capable people able to service this event across all of its diverse areas,” he contended.

“We can and we will give the world the best cricket World Cup it has ever seen,” added Farley.

The sports minister said Kensington Oval was not only the “Mecca” of West Indies cricket but it was also the second most famous cricket ground in the world.

“While we are not prepared to rest our claim merely on its solid historical basis, Barbados will spend millions of dollars to redevelop the Kensington Oval to meet and indeed exceed current ICC standards for International Test match and One-Day cricket,” Farley remarked.

But Farley warned that the World Cup will test the Caribbean region’s capacity to undertake a major World event.

“Events of the calibre of the Olympic Games and the football World Cup are usually seen as suitable for large countries, usually in the developed world.

“We in the Caribbean have an opportunity to show why this region has defied all of the odds, why this region has overcome small size and why this region has overcome a limited resource base, to become a stable, democratic, peaceful and generally prosperous oasis in an otherwise turbulent world,” Farley said.

Farley said that in many respects the hosting of the ICC World Cup 2007 by the West Indies Cricket Board and the people of the Caribbean could be compared in terms of its importance with the inaugural Test tour of England by the West Indies in 1928.

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