PM: CWI not only game in town

Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley has told Cricket West Indies (CWI) that this country will “not depend exclusively” on it for cricketing opportunities and she intends to pursue other available avenues to develop players and other people involved in the game.

Her comments came after the DAILY NATION’s exclusive story on March 28 which revealed that CWI decided not to stage any regional or international matches in Kensington Oval this year. This has led to a public outcry among cricket lovers.

Mottley made her feelings clear when she spoke Wednesday night during a social media cricket event and said it was obvious Barbados could not rely solely on CWI. She added that was one of the reasons the country made a bid to host the playoffs and finals of the Republic Bank Caribbean Premier League (CPL) which will be played at Kensington Oval from September 16 to 20.

The festive event is now the most celebrated cricket extravaganza in the region and is played in front of sold-out crowds. This year it will feature seven franchises.

“It was clear to us that we could not only rely on Cricket West Indies for cricket in this country and that is why we made a deliberate decision to go after the CPL Finals here, and to be also able to see what else we can do to boost the opportunities for Bajans in the entire game of cricket – not just as players, but as umpires and as persons who are involved in the ecosystem, period,” Mottley told Starcom Network.

Yesterday, CWI offered a response. Dr Kishore Shallow, president of the regional governing body who is also a Cabinet minister in St Vincent and the Grenadines, took to the Barbadian airwaves. He reiterated that the organisation was facing financial pressures and this was the main reason behind Kensington’s exclusion from hosting regional or international fixtures this year.

He also said CWI would have been willing to host international matches at the iconic venue had the Barbados Government offered to help with the financial load, and even disclosed he would have welcomed a call from the Prime Minister on the matter.

“Yes, we are quite pleased with the level of interest, as always from the Government of Barbados, the people of Barbados, the supporters and lovers of cricket in Barbados, but we want you to understand that this is simply a case of managing cricket across the region and ensuring that it is financially affordable and sustainable. That is what really informed the decisions in terms of where these matches are played this year,” he stated on Starcom’s Down To BrassTacks

radio call-in programme.

Shallow pointed out that the decision to exclude Barbados from upcoming summer series came down to money.

West Indies will host 16 matches from early June to early August. Sri Lanka will play in Jamaica and Antigua, New Zealand will play in Guyana, and Pakistan will play in Guyana.

Kensington Oval is the leading sporting arena in the region and ranks among the best in the cricket world. It first hosted international cricket in 1930 when it staged the first Test match in the West Indies. Since then, it has become an iconic venue and hosted four World Cup Finals – the last being the ICC T20 World Cup in June 2024.

Two senior officials and major players in the cricket ecosystem on the island recently registered their disappointment and displeasure with the “snub” by CWI. Damien Gaskin, chief executive officer of Kensington Oval Management Inc, said despite the decision not to come to Barbados, they were eagerly looking forward to hosting the playoffs and finals of the CPL.

“ Kensington Oval is the place where cricket lives and has lived for over 100 years. We are a world-famous cricket venue, one of the best venues in the world and certainly the premier cricket ground in the West Indies,” he told the DAILY NATION.

Calvin Hope, president of the Barbados Cricket Association, described the decision as “extremely disappointing”. He suggested that CWI must quickly re-examine its processes and called for a rethink of the approach towards how the game is administered. (PS)

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