BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (Reuters):

ONE MAN'S focus, dedication and sheer determination to do his job will ensure that the Cricket World Cup final will be played in a jewel of a stadium and not a half-finished building site come April 28.

Miles Weekes is the facilities development officer for the Kensington Oval, which means it will be largely thanks to him that a US$67.5 million rebuilding of the stadium is completed in time for the final.

With 27,500 spectators expected to cram into the famous ground for cricket's biggest day's play in four years, Weekes knew that the age-old Caribbean line - 'don't worry, man, it'll be ready tomorrow' - was not going to cut it.

For the past two years, he has been overseeing every concrete pillar laid, every screw turned and every gutter secured as the grand old lady of West Indies cricket was given her very, very expensive 21st-century facelift.

"It has," as this 53-year-old London-educated Barbadian says with characteristic understatement, "been particularly challenging.

"We've simply broken it down into small targets, we've never tried to look at the end picture. We've just concentrated on doing 100 metres at a time and finished up doing the marathon."

Ready in two weeks

In two weeks or so, the last of the scaffolding will be removed and the flagship stadium of the Caribbean will finally be ready to greet her audience.

The construction work has been carrying on since August 1, 2005 virtually non-stop. "It's been a six-day-a-week job for me since we started planning in 2004 and for the last six months it's been seven days a week," said Weekes, who is not related to West Indies great Everton Weekes.

However, it has been a true labour of love. "I am a cricket fan and this will be something I will be able to drive past and say, 'I helped build that, that was my contribution'. That'll be a nice day," he said.