Sir Andy criticises CWI for ‘risky’ England tour
BRIDGETOWN, BARBADOS (CMC): FAST-BOWLING LEGEND Sir Andy Roberts has issues with the decision by Cricket West Indies (CWI) to allow the tour of England to go ahead amid the COVID-19 pandemic without ensuring there was financial benefit to be derived from the three-Test series.
The 69-year-old said while he did not have a problem with the series in principle, he did not believe the Windies should have been used as “guinea pigs” for the historic “biosecure” series without financial reward, especially since the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) stood to save £380 million (over J$67 billion) by convincing teams to honour commitments during the summer.
“I don’t have a problem with them negotiating to go to England,” Sir Andy said. “What I have a problem with is that there are talks about West Indies are not going to benefit from this tour financially, which I think would be a mistake, because the chances we’re going to take, I don’t think many more countries are willing to take that chance.
“We’re taking a chance no one else is willing to take, and why we’re taking that chance is to save England nearly £380 million because if no one goes to England, they have to pay back that money.
“They are not willing to pay it back, so why should we, as guinea pigs, go and sacrifice ourselves for nothing.”
The Windies were scheduled to tour England last month, but the three-Test series was postponed as the United Kingdom dealt with the COVID-19 pandemic.
To save their summer schedule, and hundreds of millions of dollars in television revenue, the ECB proposed staging the series in a biosecure environment.
Players will be isolated for the duration of the seven-week tour and play each Test behind closed doors at biosecure venues, with hotels on site.
Only recently, CWI Chief Executive Johnny Grave said while the ECB had covered the “costs of all the mitigating factors” of the tour, the regional governing body would pick up the tab for player match fees and other allowances.
Further, Grave said the ECB would keep all revenue, as was the norm for bilateral tours.
The Windies arrived in England on Tuesday and will undergo two weeks of quarantine and training at Old Trafford in Manchester, ahead of the first Test at the Ageas Bowl in Southampton, starting July 8.
The last two Tests will be staged at Old Trafford, starting July 16 and July 24, respectively.
Pakistan are expected to follow the Windies and are expected to play a series of Tests and One-Day Internationals in August.