Cricket: Three West Indies players refuse to tour England because of coronavirus

Three West Indies players have refused to tour England for three Test matches next month because of concerns over coronavirus.

Batsman Darren Bravo is one of three West Indies players who won’t tour England

Three West Indies players have refused to be part of the squad to tour England for three Test matches next month because of concerns over coronavirus.

The batsmen Shimron Hetmyer and Darren Bravo, both of whom would probably have been in the first XI, and the all-rounder Keemo Paul asked to be left out of the 25-man squad named on Wednesday for the series that begins on July 8. The West Indies players had their salaries cut by 50 per cent last week due to the pandemic.

While the UK has had about 280,000 confirmed cases of the virus, Caribbean countries have been considerably less affected, with only about 30,000 confirmed cases, the majority of those in non-cricketing parts of the region.

The touring party is due to arrive in Britain on June 9 and every player and member of support staff will be tested before departing their respective islands to meet up in Antigua. Those who test positive will not be allowed to travel.

After landing in the UK, the squad will go to Old Trafford, the venue for the last two Tests, and be based at the on-site Hilton hotel for three weeks. The first two weeks will be spent in quarantine at the hotel, but they will be allowed to use the facilities to train. The Tests will be played in “bio-secure bubbles” in Southampton and Manchester, with no spectators.

West Indies Player Association secretary Wayne Lewis said that his members should be commended for making the sacrifices needed to allow the tour to go ahead.

“They will not be allowed to leave their hotel,” he said. “They will not be able to go shopping, go partying, visit anyone. When they are not at the hotel they are at the ground. It is a big sacrifice to make to facilitate this series going ahead. It is going to be tough on them. It is not a fun tour but they understand that.”

Left-handed Guyana batsman Hetmyer, 23, is the biggest loss; a gifted strokemaker who has yet to demonstrate the extent of his talent in his first 16 Tests, but has made five one-day international centuries and caught the eye at the World Cup last year.

The most experienced of the trio is Trinidadian batsman Bravo, 31, who has made eight Test centuries. Paul, 22, from Guyana, played the most recent of his three Tests against England in St Lucia in February last year, taking three top-order wickets in the game.

It is understood that they all have specific personal reasons for not touring. Bravo has a young child; Hetmyer and Paul come from poor backgrounds and are the breadwinners for their extended families. They are understood to be nervous about the risks and the potential impact for their families. Their decisions have been fully accepted by the West Indies management and it will not count against them.

“Cricket West Indies fully respects their decision. As previously stated, CWI will not hold this decision against these players when considering future selection,” CWI said in a statement.

The Times