CWI makes quarantine requests of England
BRIDGETOWN, BARBADOS (CMC): RICKET WEST Indies (CWI) is open to Windies players being quarantined for the tour of England to come off, but it would want four weeks of preparation and has said that, and other considerations, to the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB).
That confirmation came Tuesday from CWI Chief Executive Officer Johnny Grave, who said the ECB would report on their proposals for the tour going forward on Monday.
The Windies were scheduled to begin a three-Test tour of England on June 4, but the COVID-19 pandemic has forced a postponement. No new date has been announced, but media reports have indicated that the ECB is looking at July 8 for the
Cstart of the series. Monday’s virtual meeting between the ECB and CWI will come a week after the United Kingdom government released a document, titled ‘Our Plan to Rebuild: The UK Government’s COVID-19 Recovery Strategy’, which said that sports behind closed doors for broadcast could resume from June 1.
PLAN FOR SAFE TOUR
“In light of what UK government announced a day or so ago, we expect to hear from the ECB in terms of much more progress in developing their plan for what would be, in their opinion, a safe tour,” Grave said on the ‘Mason and Guest’ radio show here on Tuesday night.
“Obviously, the first thing that the ECB needs to get is the UK government’s clearance on that tour, and then it will be us to consider the plan, consult with the players and ultimately get a decision from our board of directors whether to go through with that tour or not.”
Grave said the Windies have not set a deadline for the ECB to decide on its end whether the tour is still possible. However, he said there are some specific arrangements which need to be made.
“We fully expect the quarantine for two weeks, but within our discussions with the ECB, we would expect to be in a facility that allows us to train outdoors, so we’re talking about cricket venues that have hotel accommodation on the site, and therefore the entire practice facility as well as hotel accommodation would be in a bio-secure environment,” he said.
“We’ve said to the ECB we want four weeks, minimum, from landing, to prepare and to acclimatise and get used to the conditions. Obviously, that would involve testing and quarantine as well. So, there’s really no deadline from us, as it’s very much an England home tour, any deadlines would really be dictated by the ECB and their calendar.”
CPL of the retention of players for the Jamaican franchise. The twotime champions have retained just four players, the least number of any of the teams so far.
These are hard-hitting all-rounder André Russell, wicketkeeperbatsman Chadwick Walton, fast bowler Oshane Thomas, and Powell.
“I think it’s a pretty decent bunch we have retained,” Powell said. “Obviously, Chris [Gayle] will be missed, but we have batters in myself, Russell, and Chadwick.
“We have pace with Oshane and Russell, but what I think is needed is a good-quality wrist-spinner because every good team has one.
“I believe we will have to do the bulk of the shopping in the draft.”
Powell said that key players for the franchise will be expected to do better this season.
“Once that is done and the Tallawahs start winning, we will get back on the fans’ good side,” he said.
REBUILDING
The Tallawahs are expected to announce their international retention and signings at a later date, and Chief Executive Officer Jeff Miller says the rebuilding process for the Jamaican franchise has begun.
“The Tallawahs organisation will be seeking to rebuild in 2020,” he said. “We are extremely excited to have André Russell back for another year. André was recently named as the leading T20 cricketer in the world by the 2020 edition of Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack.
“We are delighted for the opportunity to retain Oshane Thomas and Rovman Powell, both rising stars in West Indies and world cricket.
“I’m looking forward to having the veteran Chadwick Walton back in the dressing room. Chadwick brings a wealth of leadership experience to the team and has been a dominant player over the years in the CPL. Overall, we are looking forward to a successful CPL 2020 and returning the championship to Jamaica.”
The CPL is scheduled to take place between August 19 and September 26, but the tournament organisers are monitoring the situation with the COVID-19 pandemic closely and are liaising with medical advisers and governments of participating territories. A decision on whether the tournament can proceed as planned, or at a different time, will be made soon.