Former Prime Minister of St Vincent and the Grenadines, Dr Ralph Gonsalves has joined those around the region who have expressed surprise that Barbados will not be hosting any matches in this year’s regional and international cricket calendar.
Gonsalves is well known as a passionate supporter of West Indies cricket and a historian on the game. He spoke out following recent concerns expressed by Prime Minister of Barbados Mia Mottley after NATIONNEWS revealed on March 18 that Barbados was snubbed on the list of venues.
“You can’t have three teams coming to the Caribbean and no matches are played in Barbados. If you look across the region most people will tell you that not hosting international cricket in Barbados is an error. I am not Bajan but with three teams coming to the region Barbado should get a game,” said Gonsalves, who is a former head of the CARICOM sub-committee on cricket.
According to a draft schedule which has been independently confirmed, the international men’s matches will be played in Jamaica, Antigua, Trinidad and Guyana from early June to early August. The three visiting teams are Sri Lanka, New Zealand and Pakistan and they will play a total of 16 matches – four Tests, six One-Day Internationals and six T20 Internationals. (PS)
