St George’s Park gears up for international spectacle
Ardent Gqeberha cricket-lovers have exciting action to look forward to when the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup rolls into town soon.
Starting on February 10, the 23match tournament features some of the world’s best practitioners in the women’s game.
The tournament will be hosted across three venues in the Eastern and Western Cape, namely Newlands in Cape Town, Boland Park in Paarl and the famous St George’s Park in Gqeberha.
Having just recently hosted the Sunrisers Eastern Cape in their Betway SA20 campaign, cricket fans can expect high intensity action as the women’s teams fight for the right to be crowned world champions.
Nelson Mandela Bay local organising committee chair Mark Williams is encouraging fans to make their way to St George’s Park to support their favourite teams and players during the competition, just as they did when the Sunrisers called.
The metro will get its first taste of action on Valentine’s Day, February 14, when Australia tackles Bangladesh, before a clash against Sri Lanka two days later.
February 18 will see the top four teams in the world descend on Gqeberha for a double-header when England takes on India before the Momentum Proteas do battle against Australia in the late game and India and Ireland clash in the final match in the Eastern Cape.
Williams said while fans could expect a total makeover of St George’s Park for this tournament, he anticipated a similar atmosphere to that of the SA20 tournament, which had fans clapping their hands, stomping their feet and dancing in the stands.
“[For Gqeberha) to have been selected as one of only three cities to host this tournament proves that St George’s Park is not only a first-class cricket stadium, but that we are a first-class city with the necessary infrastructure to host international sporting events,” he said.
“It is another chapter in St George’s history of cricket transformation.
“In 1960, the stadium hosted the first international cricket match involving South African women when they played a Test against England, which ended in a draw.
“They have been working day and night after the SA20 to ensure St George’s Park Cricket Stadium remains a sought-after venue for local and international matches and series,” Williams said.
The Proteas will be looking to get their tournament off to a winning start when they play host to Sri Lanka in the opening match of the competition in Cape Town next Friday.
Williams urged local cricket lovers to bring their families and be part of the action.
“You don’t want to miss the opportunity of seeing the world’s top women cricketers in action.
“Women’s sport is one of the fastest growing sectors in the sports industry.
“We look forward to hosting fans and teams from across the world and are sure the residents of Nelson Mandela Bay will come out and show their support,” he said.
It is another chapter in St George’s history of cricket