BRIDGETOWN, Feb 18: A rebuilt Kensington Oval was described as a gift to Barbadians by Barbados Prime Minister Owen Arthur at Saturday's reopening ceremony for the cricket World Cup final venue.

On hand was West Indies great Sir Garfield Sobers, whose statue was in the front of the stadium. He was given a standing ovation by the crowd of more than 12,000 as he was driven around the field in a golf cart.

The 125-year-old ground was demolished in 2005 and rebuilt to increase seating from 16,000 to 28,000 at a cost of US$67.5 million ($51.4 million). The ground features a new grandstand at the northern end, which is five floors high and the second tallest structure in Bridgetown.

Arthur and Sobers performed the rededication for the stadium, which will host World Cup Super Eight second-round matches in April and the final on April 28.

“This wonderful stadium is a symbol of Barbadian pride and industry,” Arthur said. “Cricket is the only sport in which Barbados has a world-class history and tradition, and I really want to regard it as a gift of this generation of Barbadians to Barbadians for the ages.”

To celebrate the reopening, a Twenty20 match was played later Saturday between a team of West Indies greats, including Sir Vivian Richards, Wes Hall, Joel Garner, Gordon Greenidge and Desmond Haynes, was to play a World XI led by England's Alec Stewart.—AP