Not just players, but WI team officials should be held responsible

Wed, Aug 19, '20

This newspaper and all supporters of West Indies cricket are pleased at news that the New Zealand Cricket Board and Cricket West Indies are discussing plans for the Caribbean team to tour New Zealand later this year.

We hear that the COVID-19 biosecure template established in England for the recent West Indies tour of that country, as well as the current England home series against Pakistan, will be utilized to protect players, support staff, officials, et al.

That pattern, we note, is being followed by the Twenty20 Caribbean Premier League (CPL) which begins in Trinidad on Tuesday.

New Zealand is particularly well-placed to host international cricket because of that country's success so far in containing the spread of the novel coronavirus. Hopefully, that success will be sustained.

We feel sure that, at the bottom line, the authorities in the Caribbean and New Zealand will seek to ensure safety, beyond all other considerations.

We expect West Indies cricketers will be keen to improve on the performances of two years ago in New Zealand when the home side easily won in all formats.

In that respect, West Indies players should contemplate advice from the director of cricket Mr James Adams on the need to seize critical moments.

"Your value as a player is a lot of times dictated by your ability not just to fight to a critical point but to win it, to conquer it, and to move on from there, so I'm hoping there would have been lessons learnt for the group that was there (in England),” said Mr Adams.

Read more at the Jamaica Observer