Port of Spain, Jan 7 (IANS/CMC): Newly appointed West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) chief Michael Muirhead hailed the regional governing body's role in the Caribbean Twenty20 as the tournament bowled off here with fanfare.

Speaking at the opening ceremony at Queen's Park Oval, Muirhead said the WICB had spared no cost in ensuring the tournament would be the huge success it had been since its inception three years ago.

"The WICB has invested heavily in this tournament, particularly in the television broadcast, to ensure fans throughout the Caribbean and other parts of the world can see, live and in living colour via ESPN, the tremendous talent which is in our region," said Muirhead, who replaced Ernest Hilaire last September.

"We are not lacking or wanting for talent in the Caribbean. The evidence vindicates this statement. In the next two weeks here in Trinidad and in St Lucia, we will have some of the finest players in the world competing in this tournament, entertaining us and showcasing the most exciting brand of cricket anywhere."

The tournament, the fourth to be staged, will run until Jan 20 and will be jointly hosted by Trinidad and St Lucia.

Preliminary round fixtures will be hosted at Queen's Park Oval until January 12 when action will shift to the Beausejour Cricket Stadium for the remainder of the round-robin phase and the playoffs and final.

Sports Minister Anil Roberts said the country was thrilled to be hosting the showpiece, the region's premier T20 competition.

"We are delighted to welcome everyone to Trinidad for the Caribbean T20," he said.

"The crowd will be loud in support of the Red Force (T&T), but we will also support all the teams because we all love cricket in the region."