The Caribbean is not a wealthy cricket region. It’s product is no longer an earth-shattering force. If, as part of the deal to tour England, meant going against the agreements settled in the administrative offices of the International Cricket Council (ICC), there would have been no tour!
The poorer countries that belong to the ICC have, in the recent past, accepted to bow to the financial powerhouses of India, England and Australia and surrender to their proposals on the commercial aspect of cricket tours. These suggestions offered the home team to benefit solely from the profit of a tour and not shared on a 50% basis as before.
In this unique situation of a world pandemic and the serious problems it is causing, financially and physically, sport is lucky to be played at all.
A few years ago, West Indies had agreed to tour England to play three Test matches and a few T20 and ODI’s in the summer of 2020. And now, because of the onset of this world scourge, Sir Andy Roberts, that great fast bowler of a by-gone era, thinks that Cricket West Indies (CWI) ought to have reneged on their agreement and refuse to tour unless financial perks were paid to them to compensate for the risks they were being asked to take to visit a country that has been seriously affected by the plague.
Sir Andy says : “We’re taking a chance no one else is willing to take and why we’re taking that chance is to save England nearly 380 million pounds (sterling) because if no one goes to England they have to pay back that money. They are not willing to pay it back so why should we as guinea pigs go and sacrifice ourselves for nothing.”
England is trying to rescue their summer schedule with its huge TV revenues by allowing the tour to proceed. Our cricketers and their officials are being paid so that’s one advantage, to keep our boys financially solvent. Without this tour there would be no payday, for how long, no one knows! The other advantage is to keep our boys polished and smooth, which, without playing regularly, can create lethargy in their movements; and make them rusty.
The super-fast bowler makes a point that WI are taking a chance that no one else is willing to take. That is totally untrue! It was not a lottery that we lost! It was our time to visit, to play a series against England who we whipped last year in the Caribbean when we captured the Wisden trophy. It is the order of events and only fair to return the visit. Any other team would be willing to replace WI to participate in a Test series in England.
It also tends to keep the game alive and healthy, especially now, when fans are starving for some action. And though the crowd of spectators would be missing on the ground, the majority of fans in a game of cricket is not at the ground but watching it on TV or following it through live streaming on the internet.
Of course, there’s a world-wide disease on the rampage, however, every possible security has been put in place to permit this vital tour to come to pass. The England & Wales Cricket Board have done all they can, under expert medical supervision, to ensure that the participants in this historic tour would be safe from being inflicted with the dreaded coronavirus.
Also, permission was granted to West Indian players who were not comfortable in making the trip, to withdraw their selection without any possibility of victimisation from the CWI administration or their selectors.
I can’t help thinking that, as Sir Andy’s stance is “At this time, if we’re not going to benefit financially, I don’t think we should be the first to go,” what would have been his reaction if the WI tour was cancelled from its previous date in May and another country was asked to visit in July, instead of the WI, to play a three-test series? That would mean another country’s players would derive the benefits of a payday and some cricket which they haven’t had an opportunity to play for the past four months!
Would Sir Andy have preferred our boys not to have cricket to play or earn an income in these barren ‘guava-season’ days?
I think we would be well regarded in the world of cricket!
We must always try to do our best for the game!!
