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ICC Women’s T20 World Cup opens with a bang

The ICC Women’s T20 Cricket World Cup opened to a high-octane celebration at Sydney Showground Stadium ahead of the first tournament match between Australia and India.

The crowd at the 24,000-capacity ground was treated to a mix of Australian artists, professional dancers, pyrotechnics, new remixed dance beats and a dynamic multi-level stage adorned with pumping neon lights.

ICC T20 World Cup 2020 Local Organising Committee chief executive, Nick Hockley said the opening celebration was unlike anything that had been previously seen at a Cricket World Cup.

Australian singer Mitch Tambo got the party started, while DJ Dena Amy set the tone on the decks for the celebration. Another homegrown talent Vera Blue (Celia Pavey) performed ‘Heroes’ by Alesso ft. Tove Lo and a massed dance cast in white hip-hop inspired costumes flooded the Sydney Showground to a new dance track and the ICC T20 World Cup 2020 theme song, ‘You’ve Got To Get Up and Dance’, a cover of the ‘70s hit from English rock-band, Supercharge.

Hockley said: “It was the perfect start to the World Cup and integral in positioning the T20 as a major world event. Everything from the design of the show to the performance of the artists and dancers was world class. It certainly aligned with our vision for ICC Women’s T20 World Cup to set a new benchmark across the board.”

Michael Cassel Group was appointed to produce the opening celebration in February 2019 after a competitive pitch process overseen by a Local Organising Committee Executive Panel.

Michael Cassel, producer and chief executive of Michael Cassel Group, added: “We began planning this epic celebration over 12 months ago. Over that time, all of the cast, crew and creatives worked incredibly hard to create a bespoke production; something that had never been attempted by the cricket before. It was incredibly rewarding to see the stadium audience get into the spirit of the show and celebrate the T20’s theme song ‘Get Up and Dance’!”