The pandemic of coronavirus, Covid-19, having put a halt to quite a number of sporting events in the wider world, now poses a threat to activities in the Caribbean region.
CEO of CWI, Johnny Grave
With two cases reported in Jamaica and one death in Guyana, the Cricket West Indies Board is said to be closely following the spread of the coronavirus with a keen focus on how it would affect the upcoming series of the West Indies Men’s and Women’s teams.
CEO of Cricket West Indies, Johnny Grave, has adverted to precautionary measures being taken by that body, and plans for the next few months.
“…but clearly again, we are continuing to monitor the medical advice as the virus spreads, and reviewing those decisions and taking into consideration what contingencies we need (to put in place) should the situation change and develop further,” Grave explained.
Grave revealed that no tour has thus far been cancelled or postponed, but with the ‘men in maroon’ having three scheduled tours before the T20 World Cup is played in October, Cricket West Indies are keeping an ear out for any major development that would influence the holding of any tour. The tour to England to defend the Wisden Trophy is especially under focus, he explained.
“We’re following the advice of the medical team, and we’re in regular conversation with the ICC. But, at the moment, those matches are going ahead as planned, but that may well be reviewed as the virus spreads in the UK, and we’ve already seen a number of football games and sporting events cancelled in the UK and across Europe,” the CWI CEO has shared.
While it was expected that the Vivo Indian Premier League (IPL), which is slated to commence on March 24, might be affected, Grave shared that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has sent no official word about the tournament, which is flooded with West Indian stars. He explained that at this point in the developments, cricket is only being affected at the level of the International Cricket Council (ICC).
“To date, the major impact has been really at the ICC level. They’ve cancelled a regional qualifying tournament that was due to be played later this month in Malaysia, and we were meant to be travelling — myself and the CWI President, Ricky Skerritt — to Dubai at the end of this month for ICC Chief Executive and Board meetings, and they’ve been cancelled.” With a handful of reported cases of the coronavirus in the Caribbean, the CWI medical team is monitoring the situation, and noting how it may affect regional tournaments such as the PCL 4-Day, Under-15, Under-17 and Women’s Super-50 competitions.
Grave also shared that the CWI have implemented a travel policy for all their players and affiliates, and he said that policy would be in place until the virus is no longer a threat.
Further, he shared that very clear directions and advice have been communicated to CWI staff, players, and match officials that only essential travel should be undertaken at this stage, and that good hygiene should always be practised.
