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This morning, Cricket West Indies (CWI) was informed that some members of our New Zealand touring party had contravened the strict COVID-19 protocols within the team’s Managed Isolation Facility in Christchurch.

The New Zealand Ministry of Health has advised us that all members of the West Indies touring party will now be unable to train for the remainder of the quarantine period and will have to complete their quarantine within the Managed Isolation Facility only. CWI is in full support of the New Zealand Ministry of Health’s position.

From the information we have received so far, we have been told that the incidents in question included some players compromising the bubble integrity by mixing between two separate West Indies bubbles into which the touring party had been split, by sharing food and socializing in hallways.  There is no evidence, or suggestion, that any members of the touring party left the facility, or that any unauthorized persons accessed it.

Ahead of the tour to New Zealand, the West Indies touring party all returned two negative COVID-19 tests before leaving the Caribbean and underwent two further tests since they have been in New Zealand. All results were negative.

The players underwent their final scheduled tests this morning and, results permitting, are scheduled to leave the Managed Isolation Facility on Friday to travel to Queenstown ahead of two warm-up matches against New Zealand “A”.

CWI has already begun an internal investigation into the reported incidents.

 

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In reply to CaribbeanCricket.com

Any bubble is difficult to maintain 100% all the time. Having said that, I do hope the players responsible are treated accordingly and not made scapegoats or publicly shamed.

But I do call upon the team's manager to answer, not sure who the team manager is, but I hope he understand it is his job to oversee this and if he is not doing something the right then he needs to be held responsible.

In reply to Emir
Dem just call manager but no experience.

It is called discipline.
So simple to maintain.
That sort of indiscipline showed by the squad also shows up on the field.
WI players are not test material They have no focus. Their batting and bowling shows how ill prepared they are.
Simmonds is just wasting his time with this squad.
The CWI BOARD ALSO IS NOT SERIOUS ABOUT WINNING.
They would have sent 18 players down there to play all 3 formats not this stupid different players for different games.

I would agree with rillo on the discipline argument because that’s exactly what it is. A discipline issue.

Assuming that the terms of their quarantine were clearly communicated to, and understood by every member of the team.....from players, reserves, management etc, there really can’t be any excuse

It will be interesting to know which members of the team breached the protocol.

And what kind of disciplinary procedure can be meted out?

Sending them home will majorly upset the schedule of the tour. Practice matches, net training etc. To accommodate that schedule, replacement players will need to be flown out and they would then have to begin a 14 day quarantine. Not to mention the cost of flying the transgressors back and flying in the replacements.

So replacement players are t unlikely to be an option at this stage of the tour.

What else can be done? Drop them from the squad? In that case you essentially have tourists on an all expenses paid vacation.

Dock pay? Probably. But the morale of the squad is in jeopardy now because of this incident.

This is where a skillful, perceptive, competent, creative problem solving management team are worth their weight in gold.

Send home the covid curfew breaker, simple

you guys are assuming that the staff knew the rules and explained them adequately to the players. I would assume that if I am with my teammates who are all negative it would be ok?

In reply to camos

On a tour like that, it would be unfathomable that the quarantine protocol was not crystal clear and understood by all involved.

If it wasn’t clearly communicated, that’s a failure of management

If it was understood by most but not some, that’s on the some.

In reply to CaribbeanCricket.com

Oh shoot, and Samuels not even there.

Other options for disciplinary action could be to identify the culprits, have them issue apologies at a press conference, perform additional tasks that would benefit their peers, and commit to additional community service in New Zealand and when they return home.

If indeed the players were told about the rules, and if they broke them despite being will informed, then IMO the penalties should be more than a slap on the wrist. These players have

1. Violated clearly established safety norms, which is stupid.

2. Violated clearly established safety norms that were in place to do the one thing these fellows are paid to do- play the game.

3. Let down their fellow players because it seems now no one can train for the remaining quarantine period.

4. Let down their nations - because (like it or not) the response you're going to get round the world is "oh typical West Indian casual/ party behaviour", which reflects on the national image.

5. Let down their fans who support the team so intensely and hope for a competitive game.

6. Let down their board that is paying for their flight and hotel expenses.

HOWEVER, I'm not a fan of sending them back home- may be too harsh a punishment, and self defeating to the team, plus will be logistically very difficult to get a new batch in, have them quarantined etc. Even if they replacements fly in today, when will these new players be available to play?

Their punishment should be (after the board does its fact finding and assuming folks are founds guilty) that they should be named, and made to pay for their incoming flight and hotel costs up to the end of quarantine period, plus an additional fine, docked from their pay.

After which presumably they'll play.

It seems to me that the only way to give punishment that works would be to hit them in their pockets. Hard. They don't seem to care for much else.

I have a little experience in running a cricket tournament in a bio secure bubble.

What the players are alleged to have done may have been a breach of the agreed rules, but I would make 2 points:

1. Their actions, as reported, cannot jeopardize the health safety of anyone in the group (I have spoken to medical professionals)

2. To agree to include the particular section which was breached in the protocols was overkill to begin with.

Yes - we have to respect rules - but this is a storm in a teacup.

In reply to newdread

not a medical person but that would be my conclusion also;members of the group are all of the same virous status and none is interacting with outsiders.

In reply to newdread

Yep

In reply to Verstehen

They were all given a copy of the covid-19 protocols and it is in plain language that a ten-year-old child can follow.

There is no excuse for this indiscipline and those who disregarded the protocols should be sent home immediately.

In reply to newdread

You really wrote that garbage? Coming from a person with your intellect, I am shocked.

Put all your biases aside and just think for one minute. The NZ authorities view this pandemic as very serious and are extremely proud of their efforts in keeping it in check. The slightest slip up no matter how minuscule in breaching the protocols by people coming from outside (in this case the WI cricketers) are seen as disrespect and disregard for something they fought so hard to minimize and are at this very moment still fighting very hard to contain.

For an outsider, a non New Newzealander such as yourself to imply "this is a storm in a teacup" is clear evidence that even people with a certain level of intellect can be utterly stupid at times.

In reply to camos

I think I would defer to the people who were able to get their COVID cases down to zero...based on the advice of their medical personnel.