Feb 3 (Reuters) – Guyana has been replaced by Dominica
as the host venue for the third and final test between West
Indies and Australia in April, the West Indies Cricket Board
(WICB) announced on Friday.
The WICB said it had moved the April 23-27 test from the
National Stadium in Guyana to Dominica’s Windsor Park because of
a dispute between the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) and the Guyana
government.
“The change in venue is as a result of the situation in
Guyana owing to the Government of Guyana’s push to take over the
management and governance of cricket in the country,” the WICB
said in a statement.
“The Guyana Cricket Board which is the agent of the WICB and
the legitimate cricketing authority has been prevented from
undertaking the necessary tasks needed to ensure the successful
hosting of the match.”
The decision to move the test came just days after the
International Cricket Council (ICC) issued a statement
expressing its concern that the Guyana government had dissolved
the GCB and replaced it with an interim management committee.
“In condemning this government intervention in the strongest
possible terms, the ICC Board reaffirmed the principle of
non-interference and that the only legitimate cricketing
authority is that recognized by the West Indies Cricket Board,”
the ICC said.
Earlier this month, the Guyana government dissolved the GCB
and appointed its own administrators, headed by former West
Indies captain Clive Lloyd.
The WICB refused to recognise the interim committee and held
an executive board meeting last week, where they voted to move
Guyana’s home matches to Dominica and discuss the possibility of
also moving the test.
The Australians are due to arrive in the Caribbean in March
for a two-month visit featuring three tests, five one-day
internationals and two twenty20 matches.
(Reporting by Julian Linden in Indianapolis; Editing by Alison
Wildey; To query or comment on this story email
sportsfeedback@thomsonreuters.com)
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