Bridgetown—The West Indies Cricket Board yesterday said it was deeply embarrassed by the premature and unfortunate end to the recent tour of India and apologized to the BCCI and all stakeholders—especially the cricket loving public of the West Indies and India—for the events leading up to the development. The Board met in Barbados yesterday and agreed to review the events which led to the fiasco.
In a subsequent release, the Board said it was establishing a Task Force, comprising critical stakeholders, to review the premature end of the tour. “The Task Force will meet with all parties, including WIPA and the players, before reporting its findings to the Board of Directors.” The Board will also request a meeting with the BCCI, as well as schedule an urgent debriefing with the West Indies team management unit which accompanied the team.
The WICB also said it will use its best endeavours to ensure a successful tour of South Africa as scheduled. The release said the WICB was mindful of the related decisions of the BCCI Working Committee (See story on this page). It said in light of the longstanding good relationship between WICB and BCCI, which goes back decades and has produced numerous mutual benefits, the WICB was looking forward to meeting with the BCCI to discuss these decisions which can have serious implications for West Indies cricket.
The release noted: “WICB believes that a way can be found to repair the damage that has been caused and to ensure that similar events do not recur, with the focus being on the betterment of West Indies and world cricket. “The WICB thanks all stakeholders, particularly the ICC, BCCI, their broadcasters and sponsors for their patience and understanding in this matter and looks forward to the continuation of a strong relationship between our Boards.” The WICB further stated it was committed to acting as expeditiously as the situation allows, and will provide further information to the public as soon as it was appropriate to do so. (CMC)