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The following Letter to the Editor, which deals with the aborted CG United Super50 Cup final between Barbados Pride and Jamaica Scorpions at Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Tarouba on November 23, was submitted to Wired868 by retired regional journalist Joseph “Reds” Perreira.
The West Indies board needs to send a very strong message to the captains involved in the aborted Super50 Cup final. If they fail to do so, a pair of captains might well decide one of these days that they are not spinning the coin because they are not happy with the conditions.
(via CWI Media)
As things stand at present, according to what Director of Cricket, Miles Bascombe, said on regional television recently, Cricket West Indies are awaiting the reports of the on-field umpires and the match referee, Reon King. Only when they are in possession of those reports will they be able to start to look at the evidence of what led to the aborting of the regional Super50 Cup final.
We do not know exactly what happens next. What we do know is that CWI cannot move forward until they get all the information.
They will probably have to contact the Jamaica Cricket Association (JCA) and the Barbados Cricket Association (BCA) to find out what they have been told by their respective managers.
There is no chance that they can arrive at a conclusion in terms of what action they should take against (Jamaica Scorpions captain) John Campbell and (Barbados Pride captain) Raymon Reifer before they have put all the facts together. They will simply have to wait for that process to be complete before moving forward.
We too will have to wait. So, in the meantime, it is important that we go back and look at the actual events that took place on the day.
The rain fell; that is a matter of record. As a result, there was a 6.17pm start deadline if there was to be time to get a game in. After the match referee’s inspection, the ground was handed over to the umpires.
They decided they could have a 6pm start and the two captains, Campbell and Reifer, were duly informed. I think the rest of the officials on both sides were also informed.
Campbell scored 98 today to help defy the Guyana Harpy Eagles at the Diego Martin Sporting Complex.
Photo: Daniel Prentice/ Wired868
At the toss, there was a no-show by the captains. It was then obvious that the final would have to be aborted.
Now, looking down the road, there are implications to all of this for the appointment of captains at regional events at whatever level in the future. Captains appointed by any and all affiliate bodies of Cricket West Indies must understand their responsibility, their obligation to respect rules and regulations.
If the officials deem it safe for the teams to play and that decision is communicated to you, you have to act in accordance with the rules. You do not have the option to decide that it is unsafe to take the field and thus refuse to take the toss.
Photo: Randy Brooks/ CPL T20 via Getty Images
This has got implications for the competition that is starting soon. So it cannot be allowed to repeat itself in the future. It is thus a matter for the West Indies board to look at what they need to put in place to ensure that it does not recur.
Can you imagine a situation in West Indies cricket where the tail is allowed to wag the dog?
To conclude, I just want to add that I think captains in the future must be clearly told that, when appointed, they are in fact representatives of the respective boards. They are not just representing the 15 players in the squad.
(via CWI Media)
They are as obligated to take the toss as to set the field or to set the batting order. They are, in fact, representing their board and therefore have a responsibility to accept the ruling of match officials.
Let us now wait to see what will come out once all the evidence is in the hands of the West Indies board. Let us await full announcements by Cricket West Indies as to the possible sanctions against the captains or maybe even the JCA and the BCA, the two associations involved.
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