CWI chief Ricky Skerritt clarifies on ECB's $3 million loan
ECB's $3 million loan to Cricket West Indies (CWI) wasn't a condition to tour England, the Caribbean board's president Ricky Skerritt has insisted. He said the money was more of a helping hand in this difficult time amid the coronavirus pandemic. England will be hosting West Indies for a three-Test series, starting July 8. Here's more on the same.
Windies arrived in Manchester on Tuesday
West Indies are the first international sports team to arrive in the UK since the coronavirus lockdown started in March. All 39 members of the West Indies touring party, including 25 players, tested negative for COVID-19 before taking a charter flight from Antigua to Manchester this week. They are in quarantine at Emirates Old Trafford, where they will spend three weeks preparing.
CWI had approached ICC "seeking an advance" of $3 million
According to a report in ESPNcricinfo, CWI had approached the ICC "seeking an advance" of $3 million. The advance was said to be taken against the annual distribution the ICC gives member countries twice a year. ICC had asked CWI to provide an external audit of future cash flow considering it was going to make the payment three months in advance.
Why CWI asked the ECB for help?
However, it was a forecast CWI could not provide quickly or with any certainty, given the circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic were outside its control. Meanwhile, additional pressure on CWI came from pending player match-fee payments, accrued since January 2020, as well as the need to pay its staff. The pandemic worsened the situation and it led CWI to ask ECB for help.
ECB loan had nothing to do with touring England
Skerritt said the ECB loan, which also became the subject of an ICC inquiry, had nothing to do with CWI's decision to tour England. "It was just a matter of when the tour would take place and if the ECB could assure the CWI medical experts that the health risk would be minimal to ensure the safety of our players and staff," Skerritt said.
We needed cash urgently, says Skerritt
"Money had nothing to do with our final decision to make this tour. Holding out a hand for a pay-off is not the way CWI does business," said Skerritt. "We needed cash urgently. The communication [with ICC] was beginning to look like it would take quite long to be approved and CWI had no other reliable source of cash at that time."
West Indies to follow bio-secure protocols
As per the bio-secure protocols, the movement in and out of the venues will be restricted. Notably, a group of reserve players will travel to train and help prepare the Test squad, ensuring replacements are available in case of injury. The players will live, train and play in a bio-secure environment, as part of comprehensive medical and operational plans.
