Decision on Pakistan test in Guyana set for March 26

- matter with International Fixtures Committee says WICB’s Imran Khan

The decision as to whether the first test between the West Indies and Pakistan which is set to take place at the Providence National Stadium in July will be made later this month.

Darren Sammy’s West Indies team is scheduled to play Pakistan in Guyana at the National Stadium from the July 16-20 in a series of the International Cricket Council’s Future Tours Programme.

 Imran Khan
Imran Khan

Guyanese Imran Khan, Corporate Communications Officer of the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB), told Stabroek Sport yesterday that the matter is with the International Fixtures Committee who will make a recommendation to the WICB later this month.

The Guyana Cricket Board secretary Anand Sanasie is optimistic that the first test match will be played here but this newspaper understands that despite the Government of Guyana agreeing for the match to be played at the Providence National Stadium, the matter is not a done deal.

The West Indies Cricket Board had given its affiliate the Guyana Cricket Board a deadline of March 7 to indicate its ability to host the test match given the fact that no regional or international match has been played here since the formation of the Interim Management Committee by the government and efforts to de reocognise the GCB.

Anand Sanasie
Anand Sanasie

Initially, the three parties, the government, the WICB and the GCB were required to sign the International Venue Agreement which would have strengthened Guyana’s chances of staging the first test. But the government asked the WICB to waive the IVA and letters of agreement between the WICB and the Guyana government were used instead.

This hurdle overcome the next challenge facing the staging of the match is the decision by the International Fixtures Committee.

“As you know the WICB gave the GCB a deadline of March 7 to indicate their ability to host the First Pakistan Test. The GCB has indicated that they will be able to host. The matter is now with the International Fixtures Committee who will make a recommendation to the Board of Directors at the next meeting (week after next in Barbados – March 26 to be precise). Once decisions are taken as usual we will make the necessary announcements,” Khan told Stabroek Sport via email yesterday.

Another requirement for the match to be played here is that the West Indies Players’ Association (WIPA) must give its approval.

The WIPA has in the past under former West Indies leg spinner Dinanath Ramnarine had a contentious relationship with the WICB which resulted in numerous legal challenges.

Wavell Hinds
Wavell Hinds

Ramnarine has since departed WIPA whose president is now the former Jamaica and West Indies batsman Wavell Hinds.

According to Khan based on the Memorandum of Understanding and the Collective Bargaining Agreement between the WICB and WIPA, the WICB has to seek WIPA’s blessing in relation to the rescheduling of matches.

This situation also applies to the staging of Regional Four Day and Super50 games. Those two tournaments run by the WICB have been suspended for one week to facilitate the West Indies versus Zimbabwe first test match currently underway in Barbados but is set to resume in a week’s time.

Upon resumption, Guyana, which was forced to play all of its matches last season away from home, is scheduled to play two matches at home at the Providence National Stadium.

They are scheduled to play the Combined Campuses and Colleges (CCC) in a Four Day game from March 30- April 2 before changing formats and playing the CCC in a 50-over day/night game on April 4.

They then take on Jamaica on April 7 in a 50-over match followed by the Four Day game against the same opponents from April 10-13.