Minister of Sports Daryll Matthew has paid homage to iconic DJ and entertainer, Nigel Baptiste, better known as “Chickie”, and has called on Cricket West Indies (CWI) to provide the Antiguan with an all-access pass to the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium during the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.

Speaking recently in Parliament, Matthew heralded Baptiste as a pioneer of the now internationally famous party stand atmosphere, highlighting the DJ’s exploits during the early to late ‘90s and beyond in the now demolished West Indies Oil Company (WIOC) Double Decker Stand at the historic Antigua Recreation Grounds (ARG).

“One of the persons who often got overlooked where the evolution of cricket has taken place, the metamorphosis of cricket and how cricket has transitioned from calypso cricket to party cricket to now the biggest party in sports as we call it here with the CPL, and everybody loves T20 now and it’s going to be in the Olympics — is Chickie, Nigel Baptiste who was the pioneer globally of that party cricket environment that has now taken root all around the world, and I want to thank him,” he said.

Baptiste, in 1997, became the first non-cricketer to win a man of the match award when the cheque was presented to him by WICB after rain ruined a Test between West Indies and India in Antigua.

Matthew said the Antiguan should be shown the proper respect.

“I want to encourage CWI and I am insisting that Chickie, Nigel Baptiste, not be disrespected during this World Cup and be asked to pay for a ticket to go to any World Cup match. He must be given a full accreditation to go to every part of that stadium where he desires because he deserves it; he has worked for it and he has earned it and so that is something I will insist on,” the minister said.

Some aspects of the ARG are currently being upgraded as the facility has been earmarked as a practice venue.

Antigua will host a total of seven matches in the prestigious tournament with four of those matches coming in the group stages and three Super 8 matches held between June 9 and 23 at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium.