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World Cup’s Guyanese organisers on Wednesday basked in the glory of a ‘successful’ opening match at the brand new Guyana National Stadium at Providence even as a series of hiccups almost threatened to spoil their celebrations.

Guyana’s President Bharrat Jagdeo joined his people in the celebration that came after days of speculations that this South American nation was not ready to play its role in the 2007 World Cup.

Jagdeo watched the South-Africa-Sri Lanka game with the International Cricket Council (ICC) Chief Executive Malcolm Speed, government ministers, opposition Parliamentarians and other dignitaries in the luxurious Presidential Suite at the GNS.

He later said Guyana’s delivery of the event was ‘great’ adding that the country has proved all its critics wrong by doing a good job.

The organisers, however, had one man to thank for making their task easier. Sri Lankan fast bowler Lasith Malinga took four wickets in four balls to make the inaugural match at the GNS one of the most exciting games in World Cup history, taking the media hawk-eye away from a series of hiccups at the facility.

Once Malinga’s memorable display at the end of the day mesmerised all present at the stadium, nobody talked about those hiccups. During the day, a toilet overflowed, the air condition units stopped for a while, the turnstiles were down because of a power failure and then there was a leaky faucet in the catering area. Stadium manager Tony Xavier, however, said that the problems were rectified quickly. “We know there will be those problems, but the important thing is fixing them quickly,” he said.
Source:The News