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Minister of Sports Daryll Matthew has urged Cricket West Indies (CWI) to grant Antiguan entertainer and DJ Nigel Baptiste, popularly known as “Chickie,” an all-access pass to the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium for the upcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.
Speaking in Parliament, Matthew underscored Baptiste’s significant contributions to the cricket entertainment scene, spanning from the early 90s to the present day.
Highlighting the evolution of cricket entertainment, Matthew acknowledged Baptiste as a pivotal figure in the transition from “calypso cricket” to the vibrant atmosphere of “party cricket.”
He credited Baptiste with pioneering the global phenomenon of party cricket, which has become synonymous with T20 cricket and has garnered widespread popularity.
“…everybody loves T20 now and it’s going to be in the Olympics — is Chickie, Nigel Baptiste who was the pioneer globally of that party cricket environment that has now taken root all around the world, and I want to thank him,” he said.
Baptiste made history in 1997 by becoming the first non-cricketer to win a Man of the Match award during a Test match between West Indies and India in Antigua, where rain intervened.
The Minister said he will insist that he “not be disrespected during this World Cup and be asked to pay for a ticket to go to any World Cup match.”
“He must be given a full accreditation to go to every part of that stadium where he desires because he deserves it; he has worked for it and he has earned it and so that is something I will insist on,” he added.
R-E-S-P-E-C-T!!!!!!