Ramnarine calls for adherence to security standards

PORT-OF-SPAIN, Trinidad (CMC):

Dinanath Ramnarine feels security arrangement for regional and international matches must continuously be reassessed.

The executive president of the West Indies Players' Association (WIPA) was speaking in light of Friday's stoning of the West Indies team bus by angry Bangladesh fans.

It followed the Caribbean side's nine-wicket victory over the World Cup co-hosts in an incident police have described as a case of mistaken identity.

"It is regrettable what transpired in Bangladesh, thankfully none of our players are hurt," he said in a media release yesterday.

"The potential for terrible incidents like the one (on Friday) is why we insist that the standards agreed for regional and international matches must be continuously assessed and must be met at all times as it relates to the security of our players and other related matters."

He added: "We just cannot wait for something more serious to happen to pay attention to the issue of security, we need to be proactive."

WIPA strongly condemned the incident and noted it had been in contact with the West Indies players to ensure that they are safe and not injured in any way.

WIPA concerns

The release also noted that WIPA was concerned that while other teams were provided with their personal security consultant by their respective boards, the West Indies team was not provided with the same level of support.

The players' body was also concerned about the ability of individuals to be able to attack the bus, without the protection layer promised in the event's security plans.

WIPA has requested a full report on the incident from its regional governing body, the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) and the International Cricket Council (ICC), the sport's world governing body, under whose authority the tournament is organised.

The players' association contended that a revised security assessment must be done immediately to provide better security for our players to ensure their safety against all potential threats for the remainder of the World Cup and future events.