With just one day remaining before the Berbice Cricket Board’s (BCB) 2014 Independence T20 Cup, BCB executive Anil Beharry confirmed that the board is in dialogue with West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) President Dave Cameron about the welfare of the national players who might face penalties for participating in the Cup.
Beharry told Stabroek Sport during an invited comment yesterday that the board is currently in discussions with Cameron which he termed as “work in progress” about the country’s large crop of national players who fall under the WICB umbrella and face sanctions for being a part of the competition which has not been approved by the WICB.
WICB, Cricket Operations Manager, Roland Williams in a signed letter a week ago deemed the Independence T20 Cup as “unapproved” and pointed out that players who fall under the WICB’s jurisdiction or represent the West Indies at any level would face penalties for their participation in an unapproved tourney.
However, the East Coast Cricket Board (ECCB) has confirmed its participation in the competition but is awaiting confirmation from the WICB in order to finalise its squad.
The Georgetown Cricket Association (GCA) which has the largest crop of national players has also signalled its intention to play but is awaiting final word from the WICB about the protection of their players.
Despite all the controversy, Beharry confirmed that the T20 Cup “is on” and sponsors are jumping on board by the day. He also noted that the final installation of the lights is being done at the Albion Cricket Ground and will be up and running for Sunday’s festivities.
If talks are however unsuccessful, then teams will resort to enlisting the services of second-string players who according to Beharry, can be a part of the tournament and will not be liable to any sanctions from the WICB.
The day’s proceedings will see two semi-finals, with Berbice ‘A’ taking on Berbice ‘B’ from 11:00hrs followed by GCA XI versus the BK East Coast Jaguars with the winners duking it out in the finals from 19:00hrs under lights.
