West Indies’ Shai Hope in action as England’s Jos Buttler looks on during the second Test between England and
the West Indies at the Emirates Old Trafford, Manchester, Britain on July 19, 2020.
By Azad Ali
Cricket West Indies (CWI) has
repaid the England Cricket Board
(ECB) the US$3 million loan that it
borrowed in May to help settle players’
outstanding salaries.
This is according to CWI Chief
Executive Officer (CEO), Johnny
Grave during an interview with
Guardian Media Sports who said the
organization received its US$7 million
from the International Cricket
Council (ICC) as the normal revenue
Caribbean Life, J 24 uly 31-August 6, 2020
share which each board member
gets and the ECB has been paid
off.Grave said as part of the agreement,
the funds were to be paid by
the ICC directly to the ECB with the
balancing coming to CWI.
The loan from the ECB came at
a time that caused controversy for
CWI and President Ricky Skerrit.
The board was accused of agreeing
to tour England during the COVID-
19 pandemic because of the loan
Michael Steele / Pool via REUTERS
given to them by the ECB.
Skerritt has also denied that the
loan ensured CWI’s backing for
Colin Graves, the ECB chairman
who is vying to become the chairman
of the ICC.
He mentioned that the loan was a
helping hand given to CWI because
of its financial situation that was
made worse because of the COVID-
19 situation.
Skerritt became president in 2019
replacing Dave Cameron.
Jason Holder
England’s Ben Stokes.. Jon Super/
Pool via REUTERS
Continued from Page 23
Stokes, who is the first Englishman
since Andrew Flintoff 14 years
ago to assume the top spot, now leads
the second placed Holder by 38 rating
points.
The 29-year-old Stokes has also
leapt to a career-best third spot in the
batting rankings.
Holder endured an ordinary outing
in Manchester, with scores of
two and 35, while picking up a single
wicket.
He slipped four places to 41st but
remained the highest-ranked West
Indies batsman.
Holder, meanwhile, slipped one
place in the bowling rankings to
third but remained one of three Caribbean
bowlers in the top 20, with
fast bowler Kemar Roach holding
steady at 16th and Shannon Gabriel
dropping to 19th.
With his performance on Saturday,
Roach became the first West Indian
in 26 years to attain the 200-wicket
mark in Test cricket after starting
the day on 199 in this deciding Test
match at Old Trafford in Manchester.
The last West Indies to get 200-
plus Test wickets was Curtly Ambrose
in 1994 and Roach now stands ninth
in the list of top Test wicket-taking
West Indian bowlers.
Legendary West Indies fast bowler
Courtney Walsh tops the standings
with 519 wickets at an average of
24.44 from 132 Tests.
Roach made his Test debut back
in 2009 against Bangladesh at Arnos
Vale in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
For the regional team, the defeat
was their second at the ground in as
many weeks following their 113-run
loss in the second Test, and it ruined
their hopes of claiming a first series
win on English soil in 32 years.
West Indies had two days to bat but
rain washed out the penultimate day’s
play when they were batting 39 for two
at the close of play.
The inclement weather that was
forecast came as scheduled well before
the start, keeping the players off the
field. Officials eventually called off the
day’s play.
When they resumed play West Indies
lost three more wickets before lunch.
However, rain again interrupted play
for an hour.
When West Indies took to the crease,
they were bundled out for 129 minutes
before the rain came again.
The inning was torn apart by the
outstanding fast bowler Stuart Broad
who grabbed another two wickets to
finish with four for 36 and match figures
of 10 for 67.
Broad became only the seventh
bowler and the fourth fast bowler to
achieve 500 wickets in Tests when he
trapped opener Kraigg Braithwaite lbw
for 19 in the morning session.
Seamer Chris Woakes supported
with five for 50 as West Indies slumped
to 84 for five at lunch and the lost their
last five wickets for 45 runs in quick
time after another rain interruption.
Shai Hope was the only batsman
to score 31 runs and Jermaine Blackwood,
who was last man out for 23.
West Indies won the opening Test
by four wickets at Southampton two
weeks before.
Continued from Page 23
Continued from Page 23
ENGLAND SCOOPS TEST VICTORY
Roach joins
200-club
Cricket West Indies repays ECB $3M loan