Share

Windies expect to send full-strength squad to England - if tour goes ahead

Cricket West Indies (CWI) chief executive Johnny Grave would expect to send a full-strength side if his side's tour of England goes ahead, but admits the UK's status as "one of the eyes of the storm" in the coronavirus pandemic is a hurdle.

The West Indies Test series has already been delayed due to the sporting lockdown, but there is an open line of dialogue between the two boards around the possibility of return to action in July.

For that to happen the ECB would need not only a governmental green light but also the agreement of the Caribbean cricketers selected to travel at a time of global uncertainty.

Grave believes a first-choice squad would likely make themselves available if the health advice allowed the trip to take place but also hinted that the Covid-19 death rate on these shores was a concern.

"Ultimately cricketers want to play cricket, it's hugely important to their livelihoods and the survival of our respective organisations," Grave told Sky Sports' Cricket Show.

"Hopefully the lure of playing England and retaining the Wisden Trophy will kick in, as long as we can be exactly certain it is going to be safe.

"We'll give players the choice but I don't expect to be taking a weakened team to England, if we get that far."

He added: "In terms of global news, there are relatively few cases here in the Caribbean, therefore we're relatively safe from a coronavirus point of view.

"Just in terms of sheer numbers of deaths in the UK, obviously over 30 000 people is an enormous number... it is a very different mindset here in terms of going to what is seen as one of the eyes of the storm of this virus.

"So we're going to have to be very, very careful that first up we take the medical advice that the ECB give us and secondly that we're 100 percent sure that we're not putting any player's health at risk before we can contemplate the tour taking place."

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
Should the Proteas pick Faf du Plessis for the T20 World Cup in West Indies and the United States in June?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
Yes! Faf still has a lot to give ...
67% - 924 votes
No! It's time to move on ...
33% - 450 votes
Vote
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE