“If you wanted to be considered equal to the English cricket team, you had to be twice as good – not only on the field but twice as good off the field."
Deryck Murray yesterday recalled the words of cricket legend and West Indies' first black captain Sir Frank Worrell when they first met. Murray was speaking at History Fest 2019 held at the Alma Jordan Library, University of West Indies, St Augustine.
The former West Indies wicket-keeper from 1963-1980 said, “I was driven by the fact that every person playing cricket wanted to play for the West Indies. The British had taught us the game, and the only way to measure ourselves against them was to beat them; and for most of us it would have been a friendly rivalry, but it was a meaningful significant rivalry.”
He creatively gave an example of what it felt like in his era to play against the mighty former colonisers.
He said, “When you were growing up as a kid and playing against your father or uncle, you respect them because you know your place but you want to beat them.”
The topic of discussion yesterday was experiences of cricket, colonialism and nationalism.
Shannon Gabriel has extended an "unreserved apology" to Joe Root and the wider cricketing world for his sledge during the St Lucia Test, which has since led to a four-match suspension on him, also calling the episode an "opportunity for myself and all athletes to recognize the need for sensitivity and respect in their interactions with all". Gabriel also decided to state his account of the conversation that took place between him and Root, of which only one line was picked up by the stump mic earlier. "I think I owe it to them (friends and well-wishers) and to all supporters of West Indies cricket to provide an accurate record of what happened," he wrote in the statement. "The exchange occurred during a tense moment on the field. The pressure was on and England's captain Joe Root was looking at me intensely as I prepared to bowl, which may have been the usual psychological strategy with which all Test cricketers are familiar. "I recognize now that I was attempting to break through my own tension when I said to Joe Root: 'Why are you smiling at me? Do you like boys?' "His response, which was picked up by the microphone, was: 'Don't use it as an insult. There's nothing wrong with being gay.' I then responded: 'I have no issues with that, but you should stop smiling at me.'"
ICC Media Release: Windies player Shannon Gabriel has been suspended for the first four One Day Internationals of an upcoming five-match series against England. Gabriel's accumulated demerit points reached eight within a 24-month period following his latest breach of the ICC Code of Conduct, for which he received a 75 per cent fine and three demerit points.
During the third day of the St Lucia Test against England on Monday, Gabriel was found guilty of breaching article 2.13 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, which relates to “personal abuse of a Player, Player Support Personnel, Umpire or Match Referee during an international match”, following an incident with England Captain Joe Root.
Gabriel admitted the offence after the end of the match on Tuesday and accepted the sanction proposed by Jeff Crowe of the Emirates ICC Elite Panel of Match Referees and, as such, there was no need for a formal hearing.
On-field umpires Rod Tucker and Kumar Dharmasena and third umpire Chris Gaffaney leveled the charges.
Level 2 breaches carry a penalty of between 50 -100 per cent of a player’s match fee or 1 or 2 suspension points. A guilty finding will also see either three or four demerit points added to the player’s disciplinary record.
Gabriel already had five demerit points against his name for two earlier incidents - three demerit points during the Jamaica Test against Pakistan in April 2017 and two demerit points in the Chittagong Test against Bangladesh last November. With the addition of these three demerit points, he has reached the threshold of eight demerit points, which, pursuant to article 7.6 of the Code, have been converted into four suspension points.
Four suspension points equate to a ban from two Tests or four ODIs/T20Is, whatever comes first for the player.
Gabriel had earlier been suspended from the Mirpur Test in November 2018 when he reached the threshold of four demerit points.
CWI Media Release - EY partnering with Cricket West Indies to launch e-learning and development programme to help West Indies cricketers prepare for life after sport
EY’s Personal Performance Programme team has announced that it is launching a two-year pilot of its e-learning and development programme for Cricket West Indies (CWI), adding increased value to CWI’s existing Player Lifestyle Development Programme.
The Player Lifestyle Development (PLD) Programme was designed by CWI for the wholistic development of its cricketers, focusing on their personal and professional growth through classroom sessions. EY’s and CWI’s collaboration has brought a new and modern element to the PLD Programme, whereby EY’s Personal Performance Programme is a bespoke technology and e-learning programme. An e-learning platform, it has been designed to assist athletes with the personal development needed to be a success both today, as professional athletes, and tomorrow enabling athletes to transition once their professional sporting career has ended. The programme offers a particular focus on personal growth to prevent the pitfalls many face during and after an elite career.
This bespoke platform will facilitate specific e- learning modules designed for Cricket West Indies to ensure a unique experience for those participating while offering CWI an extended resource capability and live performance analysis.
EY’s learning and development programme was created, and is led by Scott Ward, Lead for the EY Personal Performance Programme. Scott is an ex-professional footballer, who has personal experience of retiring from elite sport, the challenges it poses and the impact personal development can have on making the transition out of a competitive sporting career.
Scott, said: “Cricket West Indies has taken a conscious and proactive decision to assist their athletes in and out of sport. By having a focus on personal development away from sport, it can improve clarity of mind, sense of self, and optimism for life after competitive sport. Personal development isn’t a quick fix; it should be viewed in the same way as competitive development – a long term, strategic process. We feel privileged to be working alongside such a prestigious organisation”
Johnny Grave, Chief Executive for CWI, commented: “CWI is investing heavily in developing and providing the resources so that cricketers have the opportunity to perform at elite level and have the support to develop during and after their career in the game The partnership with EY is an illustration of how CWI is supporting every aspect of the game and this pilot is hopefully the prelude to ongoing support for the players after they leave professional sport behind them .”
West Indies fast-bowler Shannon Gabriel has been charged by the ICC in relation to an incident on day three of the third Test in St Lucia.
After an exchange with Gabriel while he was batting, England captain Joe Root was overheard on the stump microphone saying: "Don't use it as an insult. There's nothing wrong with being gay." The video clip has been doing the rounds on social media since although what had drawn that response from Root was not picked up by the stump microphone.
It had initially appeared that the umpires had dealt with the issue at the time - West Indies captain Kraigg Brathwaite swiftly moved Gabriel away from Root after the exchange - and match referee Jeff Crowe was thought to be satisfied that it had been dealt with.
