In what will hopefully be a long-lasting association, this and future Wickets Hitting articles will be published as a Kiskadee Watch (KW) opinion column. For those still not in the know, Kiskadee Watch launched this past June to replace the former Stabroek News (SN) newspaper. After serving for over forty years as Guyana’s most respected independent newspaper, Stabroek News unfortunately ceased operations on March 15, 2026.Initially in collaboration with my fellow Guyanese countryman Joseph “Reds” Perreira, and subsequently independently, my self-written opinion articles on Caribbean cricket had also been a part of Stabroek News’ popularly read editorial content. An association that, however, ended under circumstances as unfortunate as SN’s eventual demise.
As the saying goes, “from the ashes a phoenix will rise!” As such, it is hoped that Kiskadee Watch will, in time, become even more popular than SN ever was, not only among Guyanese at home and in the diaspora, but also among other Caribbean readers.
Towards that end, TMac On Cricket Wickets Hitting is delighted to begin its KW association with this October 1, 2026 column. Future columns, however, will be published bi-weekly. Commencing October 5, 2026.
In keeping with KW’s predominantly Guyanese roots, this introductory Wickets Hitting column will feature, almost exclusively, on matters about Guyana’s cricket. Future columns will, however, revert to the typical broader Caribbean cricket context.
Bourda’s return to the spotlight will be the sole topic of this discussion. This follows the recent announcement that Bourda will host matches for this year’s October 17 – November 1 International Masters Over-40s Cricket World Cup.
According to the Guyana Chronicle’s September 25 Sports News article, the iconic Georgetown Cricket Club (GCC), Bourda, will host 14 of the 72 matches of the International Masters (IMC) Over-40s Cricket World Cup (CWC). The first Bourda-hosted match of the 2026 Over-40s CWC will be played on the tournament’s October 17 opening day when England plays the USA at 09:30 AM.
Located in the heart of Guyana’s capital city, Georgetown, Bourda, which was opened in 1884, hosted 30 Tests and 13 ODIs of West Indies international matches between 1930 and 2006. The most famous was the West Indies’ first-ever Test victory in February 1930, when they defeated England by 289 runs.
Bourda hosted its last international match in 2006 when West Indies opposed Zimbabwe in an ODI. The last first-class game played there was in the 2010 regional season, when the Leeward Islands played the Windward Islands.
Since then, Bourda has most unfortunately been allowed to deteriorate to much less than a shadow of its former stature as one of international cricket’s most idyllic grounds.
Its pavilion once hosted a luminous list of West Indian greats from George Headley and Learie Constantine, through the three Ws: Clyde Walcott, Everton Weekes and Frank Worrell, and onwards to Gary Sobers, Rohan Kanhai, Lance Gibbs, Wes Hall, Clive Lloyd, Alvin Kallicharran, Andy Roberts, Michael Holding, Viv Richards. Gordon Greenidge, Joel Garner, Colin Croft, Brian Lara and Shivnarine Chanderpaul among others. Not to mention the international list of opposing cricket greats, too long to even begin mentioning.
Over the fifteen-plus years since its last international fixture in 2010, Bourda’s deterioration has been sickeningly appalling. Wood-constructed stands named in honor of Lance Gibbs and Clive Lloyd were allowed to rot until they eventually had to be completely demolished. The Kenny Wishart Flagstaff Stand, which stood adjacent to the pavilion, was also completely demolished.
On the eastern part of the ground, the former patron-popular Rails open-air bleacher stands became totally overrun with bush. So much so that it almost resembles parts of Guyana’s equally famous interior Amazon jungle.
Indeed, of all of Bourda’s previously globally known stands, the only one still standing in relatively good, usable stead is the steel-constructed Rohan Kanhai South Stand. In addition, of course, to the Main and Ladies Pavilions.
Rather than hosting cricketing luminaries, the GCC Pavilion has, however, long since become a glorified rum shop. Mostly frequented on weeknights, and even more so on weekends, by the ever-dwindling ruminants of its former burgeoning club membership.
Against such a depressingly dismal backdrop, the news of Bourda’s reintroduction to international cricket, albeit of the Over-40s T20S variety, should now be seen as a most wonderful opportunity provided by West Indies Masters Cricket Founder Raj Singh. If not one divinely sent!
As indicated in the Guyana Chronicle report, massive refurbishing work has commenced at Bourda to bring the ground, its pavilion and players’ changing rooms back to international cricket hosting standards. This has included installing lighting to allow night matches to be played.
As justifiably excited as he is about Bourda’s reintroduction to international cricket, GCC’s current President, Graham Ali, and the club’s governing board should, however, now see this as merely the first stepping stone to an even greater revitalization.
With its facilities back up to international standards, Ali and his GCC cohorts should now push strongly for Bourda’s international involvement to continue well beyond this year and into the future, certainly, towards February 2030, which will mark the Centenary Anniversary of Bourda’s first-ever hosted Test match. Even more significantly, it will also mark the 100th Anniversary of the West Indies’ first Test victory.
At the very least, Ali should soon be having conversations with his namesake, Guyana’s President Irfaan Ali, about the possibilities for Bourda’s February 2030 hosting of a Centenary Anniversary Commemorative Match—maybe even as grand as a West Indies–England one-off Test.
Guyana’s President Ali has invariably shown himself to be a major advocate for cricket tourism. As such, suggestions for a Bourda-hosted West Indies – England Centenary Test could conceivably make him salivate at the prospect of thousands of Brits, including the infamous Barmy Army, descending on Guyana’s shores in support of the England cricket team.
With Ali’s support, and that of the Guyana Cricket Board, the necessary conversations with Cricket West Indies (CWI) about a Bourda-hosted February 2030 Centenary celebration should begin. This should begin as soon as the Masters Over-40s World Cup is concluded.
As GCC President, Graham Ali should also begin campaigning heavily for Bourda, given its unique history, to become a citadel for West Indies Youth cricket development by hosting future West Indies U13, U15, U17, and U19 youth tournaments. Possibly even becoming home to one of CWI’s much-touted future promised cricket academies.
A reconstructed Kenny Wishart (Flagstaff) Stand as a revenue-generating three-storied building, including a second-floor Guyana & West Indies Museum and a top-floor penthouse “Maximum” sports bar/restaurant, is another initiative the GCC’s Ali-led Executive should now consider.
That, as well as converting the former Rails bleachers stand into an open-air grass mound for spectators to watch hosted matches from, is among many financially viable initiatives that can fairly easily be attained by February 2030. It’s time for historic Bourda to receive some of Guyana’s abundantly flowing oil money, too!
From the ashes, a phoenix will rise. Possibly not just one, but two: a newly introduced Kiskadee Watch and a revitalized GCC Bourda! Wouldn’t that be lovely!