JAMAICA — There may well be some moist cheeks and overwhelmed hearts come March 13 as the Caribbean rises to salute some of its most revered cricketing sons.

The 18 surviving superstars of the 1975 and 1979 West Indies teams, who won the first two ICC Cricket World Cups, are excited and pleased about being honoured in an on-field ceremony before the start of the opening 2007 tournament match at Sabina Park in Jamaica.

In fact, some of the ex-players are quite emotional about the joint decision by the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) and ICC Cricket World Cup West Indies to host them for the West Indies versus Pakistan match.

Reacting to the news, ex-captain Clive Lloyd — who savoured the glory of lifting the coveted trophy twice — said: “I’m very elated that they’ve recognised what we’ve done and I’m sure all the (former) players are happy about this honour.

“Winning the first two Cricket World Cups and reaching three straight finals has left an indelible mark on our lives. Our cricket took off after the first victory in 1975. We realised that we had the talent and discipline to excel internationally.”

His cousin, Lance Gibbs, echoed similar sentiments, hailing it as “a great decision”.

“The fellows who played previously, set this up — the chance for the West Indies to host the Cricket World Cup. We must give credit to our past cricketers,” said the 72-year-old, the first spinner reach 300 Test wickets.

Now residing in Miami, Gibbs is anticipating a wonderful reunion with former team-mates and is “delighted” to be attending the landmark occasion.

Sir Vivian Richards — the man-of-the-match in the 1979 final — is equally thrilled that he and his ex-colleagues will be honoured in front of their home fans.

“It’s a wonderful tribute to the individuals who played and won the first Cricket World Cup and who repeated the feat four years later. It’s great for those of us who are still living to be part of the World Cup being staged in the region and to have these achievements of past players highlighted to those who weren’t around at that time,” said the man once regarded as the most savage batsman in the game.

He, too, is looking forward to reminiscing on the glory days with his cricketing pals, as is Maurice Foster, an all-rounder in the 1975 squad. The latter is particularly pleased to have an opportunity to make up for the fact that he has no memorabilia of past World Cup success.

“I don’t have a medal or photo of when we won the first time. It’s good to see that something is being done for us. I’m grateful to the West Indies Cricket Board and the CWC for recognising our contribution. We were part of a special era in West Indies cricketing history,” observed Foster.

Acknowledging that it’s “always nice to be recognised”, Desmond Haynes, noted that the honour had been perfectly timed.

“I believe we deserve (having) the Cricket World Cup (in the Caribbean) and it ties back in with the teams that played in 1975 and 1979. The West Indies brought so much joy to the cricketing world with the way we played cricket back then,” reasoned the former opener.

Larry Gomes — known for his dependable middle-order batting — is also among the World Cup heroes invited to the Sabina Park celebration.

“It’s great to come home for this occasion, especially with the Caribbean hosting the tournament for the first time. It will be nice to catch up with my former team-mates and see all the new facilities. I can’t wait. It will be a wonderful day,” he declared.

Presentations will also be made later in the tournament to the families of three deceased players — Keith Boyce, Roy Fredericks and Malcolm Marshall — and to the family of the late Sir Clyde Walcott, the manager/coach of both teams.1975 West Indies team

Clive Lloyd (captain and man-of-the-match)

Gordon Greenidge

Rohan Kanhai

Alvin Kallicharran

Deryck Murray (wicketkeeper)

Sir Vivian Richards

Andy Roberts

Collis King

Maurice Foster

Lance Gibbs

Vanburn Holder

Bernard Julien

KD Boyce (deceased)

RC Fredericks (deceased)

Sir Clyde Walcott — Team manager and coach (deceased)

1979 West Indies team

Clive Lloyd (captain)

Gordon Greenidge

Alvin Kallicharran

Deryck Murray (wicketkeeper)

Sir Vivian Richards (man-of-the-match)

Andy Roberts

Collis King

Faoud Bacchus

Colin Croft

Joel Garner

Michael Holding

Larry Gomes

Desmond Haynes

Malcolm Marshall (deceased)

Sir Clyde Walcott — Team manager and coach (deceased)