GCB suspends programmes amidst Coronavirus outbreak

The Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) has acted upon the decision by Cricket West Indies (CWI) and has suspend its activities on the heels of the Coronavirus pandemic.

CWI advised all territorial boards and local cricket associations to follow the advice of their respective Ministries of Health This was confirmed by secretary of the GCB, Anand Sanasie who stated, “We at the GCB have recognized the grave concerns and we would like to protect our cricketers and officials so for now we are suspending competitive cricket at our level.”

The CWI Director, however, noted that the territorial board has already completed most of its programmes scheduled for this time but have made a decision to postpone the encampment of various teams preparing for regional competitions pending CWI’s recommendations.

According to Sanasie, the board will revisit its position within 30 days, which is in keeping with the timeframe set out by CWI’s Medical Advisory Committee.

“The GCB has completed most of its tournaments scheduled for this period, we have taken a decision based on the recommendations of Cricket West Indies to suspend the encampments for the Under-15 boys, Under-19 girls and senior women, pending further information from Cricket West Indies on when those tournaments will be held,” Sanasie told Stabroek Sport.

He added that county boards and clubs would need to make their own decisions on the way forward with relation to their tournaments.

Sanasie encouraged the cricketers to remain fit and train individually while taking the necessary precautions to avoid contamination with the virus.

CWI has postponed the remaining two rounds of its West Indies Championship along with the Regional Under-15 boys, Regional Under-19 girls and Women’s Super50, all of which were expected to be completed by April 20.

CWI has also postponed face-to-face director meetings with urgent matters being addressed via teleconference.