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Kudos for Dominica fans

By –Ezra Stuart

HEARTENED by the support for West Indies' cricket in Dominica, captain Darren Sammy has given the country the green light, saying the Emerald Isle of the Caribbean deserves more international cricket.

"I think kudos to the Dominican crowd. I think we should have more matches here whether it is Twenty20, one-day cricket or Test matches. I think we played a one-day game against South Africa where the wicket had a little bit of pace. If some more work could be done to get the wicket similar to something in Barbados or Jamaica, I think it will be an excellent venue for cricket," Sammy said after the match.

Sammy said "the amount of support" for West Indies cricket was almost unbelievable during the inaugural Test at Windsor Park, the world's 106th Test venue.

"They were cheering on almost every run today (Sunday). I spoke to Dessie (Desmond Haynes) and he said that was how it felt like when he was playing. That second ball Fidel (Edwards) bowled (to Rahul Dravid) with the crowd rooting...I think it was very nice to see and I honestly vote for more cricket here in Dominica," Sammy said.

New West Indies Test batsman Kirk Edwards also lauded the Dominican spectators for their support, while at the end of the match, the Windies players walked around the ground thanking the fans for their whole-hearted and boisterous support.

Dominica had by far the biggest crowds in the 2011 Digicel Home Series against Pakistan and India, outstripping the attendances for the Tests in Guyana, St Kitts, Jamaica and Barbados, where the crowds fluctuated between 1,000 and 3,000 spectators.

More than 7,000 spectators attended Saturday's penultimate day, while around 8,500 paid the minimal EC$5 fee for admission on Sunday's last day.

Spectators didn't have to pay a cent on the last day of the Barbados Test but fewer than 4,000 attended.

"It is important. You would recall that when Bangladesh was here in the Caribbean (2009), many islands boycotted the matches. We did not boycott the Bangladesh-West Indies match. We came out and we supported the two one-day internationals here and we did the same here," said Dominica Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit.

"We are sending a very clear message that we support the players, we are certainly committed to West Indies' cricket and we would like to welcome them. Dominica is a very welcoming and hospitable nation. We don't get involved in the politics of the game, we are here to support the game," he contended.

Skerrit also said the island would be happy to host the popular Caribbean T20 tournament in the future. Next year's tournament has already been allocated to Trinidad and Tobago and Barbados.

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