WI tour to Asia on hold

ST JOHN'S, CMC:

THE West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) is adopting a cautious approach before making a final decision on the upcoming tours of Pakistan and Sri Lanka by the regional team.

Following a meeting of the directors of the WICB in Antigua last weekend, new President Reverend Wes Hall and Chief Executive Officer Gregory Shillingford were mandated to meet with their counterparts from Sri Lanka and Pakistan during the International Cricket Council (ICC) meeting in Kuala Lumpur, October 16-19.

"The parties would then carefully review safety and security issues surrounding the tours to these countries in light of developments following the recent terrorists attacks on the United States," the WICB said in a news release yesterday.

Even though the WICB has decided to defer making a final decision, the Board approved the selectors' recommendation of experienced middle order batsman Carl Hooper as West Indies captain for the proposed tours.

The tour of Sri Lanka is scheduled to take place from November 1 to December 22 while the Pakistan trip is slated to be held from January 29 to March 4.

At the meeting it was also decided that the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) will continue to offer ground staff across the region incentives for the preparation of the best pitches and grounds.

Incentives to ground staff were first offered for the 2001 Cable and Wireless Test and One-Day home series between West Indies and South Africa earlier this year.

The new incentives will start with the Red Stripe Bowl limited overs tournament which starts in Guyana and Jamaica on Tuesday and will continue with the 2002 Busta Cup and the Under-19 competitions.

Meanwhile successful West Indies Under-19 manager Jeff Broomes has been replaced by Jamaican Courtney Daley for next year's Youth World Cup in New Zealand.

Broomes, a long-standing youth cricket administrator in Barbados, served as manager of the Young West Indies squad which defeated home team England in their Test and One-Day series earlier this year.

However, the two other members of the management team, coach Gus Logie and physiotherapist Dave Cumberbatch, both of Trinidad and Tobago, have been retained for the tour which will be held in January and February.

A 20-member squad has already been selected to attend a training camp in Trinidad and Tobago prior to the start of the tournament, before the final squad of 14 players for the Youth World Cup is chosen.

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