The President of the Jamaica Cricket Association (JCA), Dr. Donovan Bennett, has revealed that plans are in motion to upgrade the lighting at Sabina Park ahead of Australia’s visit to Jamaica for one Test match and two T20 Internationals in July. The project is critical, as inadequate lighting could put the Jamaica leg of the Australian tour in jeopardy.

Dr. Bennett, in an interview with Sportsmax.TV, shared that he had received promising communication from the Minister of Sport, Olivia Grange, regarding the necessary upgrades.

“If you had called me on Saturday, I would have said yes, the Jamaica leg might be in jeopardy, but I had some communication from the Minister today (Monday),” Bennett stated.

“She asked me for a Pro Forma invoice for the cost of the lights and the installation. She also wanted a scheduling of the payments—what it would cost to have the lights here, what it would cost when they arrive, and then the cost of installation and focusing. She wanted all of that. Not only did she want it, but she called me about midday and said she wanted it by this afternoon (Monday). So all of that would suggest to me that something very positive is happening, or at least, potentially, some action is taking place.”

Dr. Bennett highlighted the current lighting issue, explaining that the existing lights, installed nearly a decade ago, are no longer sufficient for hosting international cricket matches, particularly for live broadcasts.

“You know, the lights were installed about eight, nine years ago when I first came onto the board 10 years ago. But those lights were incandescent. The lumens we have at Sabina Park is about 1,700, 000 which is good enough for football but not good enough for cricket. Cricket requires 2,500 lux on the wicket, 2,000 lux inside the 30-yard circle, and 1800 lux on the periphery. So the present lumens at Sabina is about 1700.”

• (1500–2500 lux is required for international tournaments that are being broadcast live. A lux is a unit of measurement for illuminance, or the amount of light that falls on a surface. One lux is equal to one lumen per square metre.)

To meet international cricket standards, the JCA is now focused on securing modern LED lighting, which offers greater efficiency and cost savings. However, sourcing the right lights presented some logistical challenges.

“We are supposed to get the lights from our local supplier who will source them from a manufacturer in England. There were some technical challenges because while we could have gotten cheaper lights from China, they were too heavy for the existing stands at Sabina Park. The wind forces on the pylons would have been a major issue.”

The estimated cost for the lighting upgrade is JMD $75 million, and the project is now racing against time to ensure the lights are installed ahead of Australia’s arrival in mid-July.

“They should have been installed from the middle of January. That was my timetable, but due to delays in securing funding, the timeline was pushed back. My projection is that, hopefully, we can order the lights by February 15. It takes about six to eight weeks for production and delivery, so that would carry us to the end of March. Then installation takes another two weeks. By the middle of April, we should be ready to go. So we’re working hard on it.”

Dr. Bennett remains optimistic that with the government’s support, the lighting upgrades will be completed in time, ensuring that Sabina Park is fully equipped to host the highly anticipated Australian tour.