A veritable Who?s Who of retired international stars ? including the legendary Sir Viv Richards ? will be illuminating the National Sports Centre with their cricketing wizardry next April.

A provisional list of players was announced last night at a presentation by the organisers of the 20/20 World Cricket Classic and the names committing themselves to Bermuda couldn?t be much bigger.

And the opening game of the tournament, which has seen a $1m investment by Government and is set to attract as many as 5,000 visitors a day, is lining up to be a true Classic with a Windies team including Joel Garner, Curtly Ambrose, Courtney Walsh, Larry Gomes, Richards, Collis King and Richie Richardson taking on the national side.

And coach Gus Logie, who led the Island team to World Cup qualification, will face a massive conflict of interest as he goes to bat with his old team-mates against the side he has coached to such incredible success in recent months.

As well as bringing in most of the dominant Windies side of the 1980s, most of the 1996 Sri Lankan World Cup winning side are also jetting in for the cricketing extravaganza including Aravinda De Silva, Hashan Thillekeratna and Arjuna Ranatunge.

There will also be Kiwi Chris Cairns, South Africans Gary Kirsten and Brian McMillan as well as Australian Merv Hughes and a galaxy of England stars including Robin Smith, Allan Lamb, Mike Gatting, Phil DeFreitas, Devon Malcolm and Mark Ilott.

?These are some of the best guys to ever have played cricket,? said Keith Pont, former England player and chief executive of the Get Fit Foundation (GEFF) ? the not-for-profit company behind the event ? following the presentation hosted by the Bermuda Diabetes Association at the Bermuda Underwater Exploration Institute last night.

?Trust me, they are still great players and whoever is watching these games is going to be treated to quite a show.

?We really want to make this something special. We were going to call it the 20/20 World Cup originally, but given that it is only a matter of time before there is an official one organised, we decided to keep it as the Classic.

?But we are really looking to build something really magical. Bermuda is such an amazing place and I think it will be perfect for this sort of event.

?We are not here just for one year, we want to be here for 18 years like the Rugby Classic.?

As well as exposing the spectators to A-list former cricketers, the tournament will also be another opportunity for Bermuda?s national side, qualifiers for the 2007 World Cup and next month?s ICC Intercontinental Cup final in Namibia, to get some further international experience.

Although the increasingly-popular 20-20 form of cricket involves different skills from the one-day or three-day formats, the pressure situation of facing ageing but still classy opposition will do Logie?s team no harm, nor will the other spin-offs from the event.

The Under 19 national side will provide 12th men for the various visiting nations and given the age ? and size ? of some of the competitors, the local players are likely to get plenty of game time.

The domestic cricketing scene will also benefit from the officials being brought in, with four world-class overseas umpires jetting in to stand with local officials.

The Classic is also expected to help add impetus to the long-term National Sports Centre project, with the new electronic scoreboard and improved facilities around the ground now having to be completed as a priority in time for next year?s event, plus the arrival of a state-of-the-art artificial pitch which will be left here once the festivities are over.

Next year?s event was conceived after a team from GEFF came over to view the Rugby Classic last year and decided they wanted their own veterans tournament, which Rugby Classic president John Kane has promised will be a cross between his event and Cup Match.

The Cricket Classic will also act as the international launch of GEFF?s health and fitness message and organisers are promising much more than simply a high quality cricket tournament.

GEFF, which has a remit to halt the epidemic rise in obesity and inactivity along with attendant health issues such as diabetes, colon cancer and heart conditions, has decided to use this top-class event to highlight their mandate and a full health expo will take place at the adjacent stadium during the week-long cricket festival.

The National Stadium will host the Health and Activity Village, which will offer activities such as bowling, batting and fielding simulations on inflatable backdrops, an inflatable soccer penalty shoot-out as well as a host of other fun and innovative activities designed to promote active lifestyles.

?Our theme is fitness and health,? said Pont, keen to ensure the health message gets across as well as the excitement surrounding the cricket tournament itself.

?We are trying to emphasise the importance of getting off the couch and doing something. Just walking 30 minutes a day, every day can make a massive difference to health. Long-term it can be the difference between living and dying.

?We are hoping that both through the village and through the inspiration that should be supplied by these great names playing cricket, we can encourage a healthier, more active population both in Bermuda and across the world.?

The GEFF team, who have also taken in Cup Match on their visits to the Island ? ?seeing that punch up on the field was quite something,? said Pont ? will be returning to the Island monthly until the event.

?We are very grateful to the Bermuda Government who have been prepared to help us so much and have been the first around the world to recognise the link between sport and general health,? he added.

?We want to make sure we thank them by putting on the best event we can. We are really going to put everything into ensuring the people of Bermuda are treated to something really special both on the field and off it.?