Ireland tour provisionally approved

Jamaica Cricket Association (JCA) Chief Executive Officer Courtney Francis says the Government has granted provisional approval for matches between the West Indies and Ireland at Sabina Park between January 8 and 16 next year.

Ireland’s tour of the West Indies will consist of three One-Day Internationals and a Twenty20 International, which will serve as a testimonial match for local cricketing icon Chris Gayle.

However, Francis said among the logistics that the JCA is finalising, is a suitable ticketing process, one that will allow it to verify the vaccination status of patrons coming in from overseas. Francis compared it to the electronic ticketing system used by the Jamaica Football Federation for the Reggae Boyz’s FIFA World Cup qualifier against the United States of America at the National Stadium on November 16.

“It (online ticketing system) will be a similar thing like football, but football ticket system is local, the West Indies ticket system is international, where someone can buy a ticket anywhere in the world and come here,” Francis told The Gleaner.

“So they are interfacing some things so that they can check your vaccination status because only vaccinated persons will be allowed to attend. So they want to be able to verify the status of those coming in.”

Francis says that while locals are already registered by the Ministry of Health, those coming from outside Jamaica are linked to other entities.

“So some links have to take place so that they can verify travellers,” he said.

The JCA will meet with Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency (ODPEM) Deputy Director General Richard Thompson, and although Francis anticipates that they could be a little closer to actual approval, he cautioned that nothing is guaranteed and that a number of situations are possible.

BEHIND CLOSED DOORS

“At this time, any scenario can work,” he said. “We may have the series and we may not have the series. We may ask for 2,000 spectators, we may get less, we may play behind closed doors. So we have several variables out there that we have to consider.

“So we are yet to inform the stakeholders based on the several scenarios that are out there because once you tell people yes, expenses will start to incur.

“CWI (Cricket West Indies) sent out a tentative press release because they also don’t want to commit, and then it doesn’t happen. It is a tentative approval and any scenario can play. It all depends on how the Government tracks the new variant (of COVID-19) and what is happening.

“We have gone through the walk-through, we have gotten the people to say, ‘Yes, it’s al right,’ but when I talk to Richard Thompson, we may be a little closer.”

Local cricketers will have to wait a bit longer for an announcement on the return of club and parish cricket as the Government put that proposal on hold in anticipation of a fourth wave of COVID-19 over the holiday season.

“No approval has been given for local cricket just yet,” Francis said. “The Government says it expects a spike in January, and if there is a spike, it is going to use up resources. So they are watching it.

“But the local application is on their desk. It is just a matter of saying, ‘Yes, we can go’, but it depends on their circumstances.

“After the holidays, we expect them to get back to us and say, ‘This can work,’ and, ‘ This doesn’t work,’ and make a determination. But I suspect by mid-January, we will be off the ground.”

livingston.scott@gleanerjm.com