ICC World Twenty20 Championship begins today in West Indies. The third ICC World Twenty20 tournament begins in Guyana at 1800 BST on Friday. ICC World Twenty20, ICC President David Morgan says the event is a chance to celebrate the unique contribution cricket in the Caribbean makes to the global game. Mr Morgan said: “We’re encouraging the people of the Caribbean to bring their enthusiasm and passion for cricket to the matches, bring your musical instruments, your songs and cheers, your flags, banners and colourful costumes. And, above all, bring that party spirit for which cricket matches in the West Indies are famous.”

Today, it is going to be start of a Carnival in Caribbean, courtesy T20 cricket. The action gets underway in Guyana on Friday (30 April) as New Zealand takes on Sri Lanka followed by local favouriteWest Indies playing qualifier Ireland.

2010 ICC World Twenty20 is an international Twenty20 cricket tournament that will be held in the West Indies between 30 April and 16 May 2010. Although the tournament is held every two years beginning in 2007, the scheduled ICC Champions Trophy one-day international tournament to be held in theWest Indies in 2010 has been revised to a Twenty20 format because the 2008 Champions Trophy tournament in Pakistan was postponed due to security concerns and there was a need to correct the international cricketing tournament calendar.

The tournament is split into four groups of three with the top two teams in each group qualifying for the Super Eights.The semi-finals take place in St Lucia on 13 and 14 May and the final in Barbados on 16 May.