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Skerritt looks forward to better 2021

Published:Sunday | December 27, 2020 | 12:14 AMLennox Aldred - Sunday Gleaner Writer
Skerritt
Skerritt

President of Cricket West Indies (CWI), Ricky Skerritt, is upbeat about the regional side’s prospects and is confident that the entity will have an exciting and entertaining 2021.

Skerritt, the former West Indies team manager, who was appointed president in March of 2019, told The Sunday Gleaner that the current year has been more than just challenging, with the organisation suffering severe financially losses, due to the impact of the global pandemic.

“The year 2020 has been an extremely challenging year for West Indies cricket. It was heavily dominated by the unprecedented global pandemic, which paralysed cricket operations everywhere and scared West Indian players, coaches, and fans alike with the risk of infection,” said Skerritt.

“Although the withdrawal from selection by some players and a shortage of match-readiness were potential setbacks to team performance, we co-pioneered the concept of a ‘bio-safe bubble’ to minimise risk and allow CWI to meet our overseas obligations,” he added.

The Kittitian is, however, optimistic that performances will improve both on and off the field and that a better year is on the horizon.

“A return to competitive cricket was necessary for CWI to rejuvenate our commerce and to generate desperately needed revenue. Although we expect that the COID-19-related challenges will continue into the new year, we must remain optimistic that we can deliver an exciting and entertaining list of regional and international cricket events in 2021,” Skerritt stated.

2021 SCHEDULE

The West Indies will kick-start 2021 with a tour of Bangladesh from January to February, with the teams set to play three ODIs and two Tests, as part of the Cricket World Cup Super League and World Test Championship, respectively.

Despite the COVID-19 threat, the West Indies team had a busy year in 2020, playing series in England and New Zealand during the height of the pandemic.

The regional team joined England in the first series since the outbreak of the virus crippled global sporting events, losing their three Tests series 2-1 in July before travelling to New Zealand in November, where they lost their T20 and Tests series 2-0.

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