West Indies’ Darren Bravo during net practice. Action Images via Reuters / Paul Childs
Caribbean Life, June 12-18, 2020 27
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By Azad Ali
Two key batsmen Darren Bravo
and Shimron Hetmyer along with
all-rounder Kemo Paul have decided
not to participate in the West Indies
14-man squad for the historic “biosecure”
tour of England scheduled to
start next month.
Cricket West Indies (CWI)
announced in a statement that lefthanders
Bravo, Hetmyer and Paul
will skip the three-Test series that
will be played behind closed doors,
amid the COVID-19 pandemic that
has already infected close to 28,000
people in the United Kingdom and
caused almost 40,000 deaths.
“CWI fully respects their decision
to choose to do so. As previously
stated, CWI will not hold this decision
against these players when considering
future selection,” the statement
said.
Continued on Page 28
President of Cricket West Indies,
Ricky Skerritt. Cricket West Indies
CWI cuts
salaries
By Azad Ali
Cricket West Indies (CWI) have
slashed staff and players’ salaries by
half, in an attempt to remain viable
amidst mounting financial troubles due
to the global COVID-19 pandemic.
Describing the move as a “temporary
measure,” the board said in a statement
last week that it “deeply regretted” having
to make the cuts but was left with
little choice “in the face of debilitating
economic challenges, which have result-
Continued on Page 28
Speak out
against racism
By Azad Ali
Former West Indies Captain, Darren
Sammy has urged the International
Cricket Council (ICC) and its member
cricket boards to speak out against
social injustice and racism, amid public
outrage in the USA and across the globe
over the death of an African American
man at the hands of a white police
officer.
Sammy, stressing that the issue was
not an American one, took to Twitter
to call on those in the cricketing world
to make their voices heard as justice
demanded for the George Floyd, 46,
who died after a white police officer
kneeled on his neck for more than five
minutes, on May 25.
The incident, which was captured
on video, sparked protests across the
Continued on Page 28
KEY
BATSMEN
OUT
Three key CWI players opt out of tour
/SPORTS