Giant cricketer statue unveiled in Bristol as the city welcomes ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup

Giant cricketer statue unveiled in Bristol as the city welcomes ICC Men's Cricket World Cup

This weekend the Bristol community was invited to the grand unveil
of the ‘Take Part in Giant Art’ project that took place at Bristol’s Millennium Square over
the bank holiday weekend.
The event marked the commencement of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2019 in
Bristol, as the city gets set to host three games, with the first game on the June 1
between Afghanistan and Australia.
To celebrate the world’s greatest cricket celebration coming to Bristol, an impressive
4-metre batsman has been painted to represent each of the ten competing CWC19
nations, standing proudly in the city’s Millennium Square.
Bristol County Ground, home of Gloucestershire County Cricket Club, will host three
fixtures at the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup, doubling the number of Men’s World Cup
games the ground has held, following one in 1983 and two in 1999.
On Saturday, the community was invited to Millennium Square to join in the unveil of
the cricketer that was hand painted by children, adults, artists and cricket stars, over
three fun-filled days where the Bristol community came together.
The unveil was supported by ambassadors Jemel One Five, a born and raised
Bristolian YouTube star, who unveiled the statue and comedian Mark Watson who
also attended to partake in the day’s activities.
The live CWC19 day-night match between Afghanistan and Australia will be screened
during the day on Millenium Square from 1:30 pm, in addition to cricket games and
activities, adding to the fantastic community event taking place in the square.
Director of City & Spectator Experience, ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2019, Paul
Smith, said, “The Giant Art installation is the culmination of a brilliant community effort
of painting from last week’s bank holiday weekend. We are delighted to bring the colour
and creativity of the city to life in this way, hopefully giving the people of Bristol another
reason to cheer on the tournament while it takes place here. The live screening in
Millenium Square also gives those that can’t be at the game a chance to watch some
of the action at Bristol’s County Ground.”