We are in debt to Windies for saving summer says Giles
TOURISTS ARRIVE FOR TEST SERIES
ENGLAND cricket supremo Ashley Giles hailed the arrival of the West Indies team to play three Tests here next month, saying: “We owe you.”
The 25-man squad landed at Manchester Airport yesterday wearing masks.
Led by skipper Jason Holder, they were transferred to Old Trafford, where they will stay for two weeks in quarantine as they prepare for the first Test at the Ageas Bowl on July 8.
All players and support staff left the Caribbean with a clean bill of health and were tested again in Manchester, with the results expected tomorrow.
Assuming another full round of negative results, they can begin training at the ground that will host the second and third Tests of a series to be played behind closed doors.
Giles, director of England men’s cricket, said: “Great credit to them. We owe them a debt of gratitude in the way they have supported us.
“We have been in regular dialogue and it would have been easy not to come, so thank you to them and we look forward to getting some cricket on the road.
“A training base has been set up for the West Indies in Manchester with accommodation on site where we can create a secure bubble around them.
“Both sides will undergo thorough testing. Our priority through this is keeping our people safe – players, management and everyone working at these grounds.
“But getting cricket on is important to the game. We all want to see live sport, but getting cricket on is important in keeping the lights on.”
One cannot underestimate the huge effort the West Indies players have made in the ECB’s hour of financial need by becoming the first international team to travel to fulfil fixtures since the pandemic took hold.
It has allowed the broadcast revenue on which the game depends from Sky and the BBC to keep flowing.
The timing could not have been more serendipitous considering their arrival has coincided with the tearing down of a slave owner’s statue in Bristol amid Black Lives Matter protests, as well as a reminder of the Windrush scandal with Monday’s BBC drama Sitting in Limbo.
A line was supposed to be drawn under Windrush with a compensation scheme but reparations have been painfully slow in arriving. The
ECB must not follow this example.
A good starting point would be for them to demonstrate the same kind of support for the Windies as is being shown on this tour at the next ICC board meeting.
As long as the major men’s global tournaments are held only in India, Australia and the UK, the distribution of funds are skewed in their favour.
Alternatively the ECB could offer facilities, coaching and tours across the board. Not a handout, but a hand-up.