World Cup yet to grip the Caribbean

Montego Bay, Jamaica, Mar 8 (UNI) India may have been in the grip of a severe World Cup fever but the hosts of this mega-event are yet to feel the same intensity and excitement.

With barely three days to go for the inauguration of the ninth-edition of the Cup in the caribbean, cursory signs of the International Cricket Council's quadrennial extravaganza are evident at the Robert Sangster airport, itself in the throes of a major revamp.

But that little bit by way of an extra ''kick'' on the eve of such a major event is still pretty much absent on the streets of a town that swears by the dollar of the American tourist first and foremost. Trelawny, just minutes down the road from here, is also slotted to host the opening ceremony of the four-yearly bash.

At the same time, it is on everyone's mind here that the World Cup is for them -- as it evidently is for the administrators of the sport -- another opportunity to rake in the big bucks. Even country's Prime Minster, Portia Simpson Miller, has urged one and all to ''make this a unique Jamaican holiday experience.'' There is support in plenty for Brian Lara and his boys, some sneaking admiration at the way India have pieced together what will be a formidable challenge and acceptance that the Aussies can never be counted out.

For many a journalists from the Subcontinent landing here itself has been a unique experience. Twenty-six hours of travel is what it took to get to where Rahul Dravid and his men are gearing up for the 2007 ICC World Cup. Getting there means crossing as many time zones as the fingers on one's hands.

That can boggle the mind. Yet cricket will have it no other way, given the almost non-stop demands of the modern day game, and so it was as we set out in chase of the Men in Blue.

At the air-port, a young custom officer while going through the passport and other identification papers of a journalist stopped working for few moments when a mediaperson said that India is a strong contender and is going to win the Cup.

''Well I think India is likely to finish second or third and West Indies will win,'' the official said and seeing his instant reaction, journalists played safe and agreed to his views.

Outside there are some banners reminding the people that the World cup is few days away but unlike India where TV channels have already created a frenzy, the response here so far has been lukewarm.

''This place is a tourist resort and most of the tourists are Americans who are least interested in cricket and people here are mostly interested in big green buck, the US Dollar, hence their apathy towards cricket,'' the official explained.

The World Cup is therefore, at least for now, something of a sideshow to the ''Bob Marley Tours of Nine Mile Village where he was born as is laid to rest,'' the ''Ultimate Coffee Tour'' of the Jamaican High Mountains, Montego Bay city tours and what have you.

''The excitement will pick up once the tournaments starts and we (the west Indies) start winning, Indians also have good support here, they are a good side,'' taxi driver Garth assured the journalists but added rather ominously: ''If West indies are out early, World cup will then only be for the tourists (foreigners).'' UNI