Caribbean's huge opportunity

By Colin Croft Former West Indies fast bowler

Welcome to the Cricket World Cup.

So this is it. Ten years of bidding, planning and building have made way for about two months of frenetic cricketing activity.

Construction is still ongoing at the Kensington Oval in Barbados

But what happens afterwards? Nobody wants the new stadiums to become "White Elephants".

The real legacy of CWC 2007 will be the absolute proper use that must be made of these venues, with a view to recovering some of the huge financial investment.

The Caribbean hopes that we do not become another Montreal. After that city hosted the 1976 Olympics, the debts were so high that they might still be paying them off to this day.

When the West Indies were awarded the World Cup 10 years ago, it was envisaged the West Indies Cricket Board would probably make a profit of approximately US$100 million (£52m).

That would have been quite acceptable, considering that the England and Wales Cricket Board made about £90 million of profit after the 1999 World Cup.

In this case, the respective governments of the Caribbean have had to bear, very willingly it should be noted, the tremendous financial burden created by the tournament.

So much building - not just of stadiums but road networks, airport improvements - has dented the projected margin.

The chief executive of this World Cup, Chris Dehring, believes the West Indies cricketing fraternity will possibly make a profit of between US$10 and 20 million.

It's a far cry from what might have been.

Will these St Vincent children still be playing cricket in five years?

Money, though, is not all that is important. Sir Viv Richards and others are suggesting a successful tournament could bring back the heady days of the 1970s and 1980s, when West Indies cricket ruled the world.

But for that sort of massive resurgence to occur, the present Brian Lara-led West Indies cricket team will not only have to play very well indeed, they will have to win the tournament outright.

Nothing else will do!

There is bound to be some upward movement in the attitudes and endeavours of the younger West Indians after this competition, whatever the outcome.

Many might want to become another Lara, Sachin Tendulkar, or Makhaya Ntini, a few of the players expected to have starring roles.

The interest, once re-kindled, must be continually stoked, with proper developmental programs, from the WICB.

Without these, West Indies cricket will return to the results of the very dismal recent past.

TMS BLOG It's the biggest event since Columbus discovered these islands more than 500 years ago BBC TV reporter Rishi Persad heads home More on our TMS blog

The kids in the Caribbean, like everywhere else, are too impatient these days.

As a former player and 1979 World Cup winner, I am extremely excited and honoured that the competition is in our back-yard.

Indeed, the last time that a West Indies cricket team won the World Cup, I actually took the last wicket to win the game - Mike Hendrick, bowled Croft 0.

The magnificent crowds at Lord's will live in lasting memory.

That win started the most wonderful period for any sport in the Caribbean, perhaps the entire world.

It propelled the West Indies cricket team to being Test and one-day champions for another 15 years.

It's not impossible to dream of the same thing happening once again - and a successful World Cup, with a strong performance from the home side, could be the perfect catalyst.