No ban on print media
Published:Sunday | January 9, 2022 | 12:14 AMLennox Aldred - Gleaner Writer
JAMAICA CRICKET Association (JCA) Cricket Operations and Development Manager O’Neil Cruickshank is debunking a report that local print media are not allowed at Sabina Park for the ongoing white-ball series between the West Indies and Ireland.
Furthermore, Cruickshank is suggesting that a statement made by Cricket West Indies (CWI) Commercial, Marketing and Communications Director, Dominic Warne, overstepped the mark.
On Friday, Warne had confirmed that no print media was allowed at the matches, which run from January 8 to 16. However, Cruickshank was mystified by those utterances and stated that this was not the case.
“I find it very strange that CWI could say that the media is not invited to an event. CWI cannot come to Jamaica and exclude the media. The media is there to report. CWI may not be engaging media, but we can’t prevent the media. It’s an event,” said Cruickshank.
Warne had explained that the decision to not have media at the matches was to ‘manage the risk of COVID” transmissions.
Upon hearing the news there would be no print media at the games, this newspaper reached out to Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, Olivia ‘Babsy’ Grange, who swiftly brought Cruickshank up to speed on the development. The JCA says they will be clarifying and rectifying the situation immediately.
“I believe there is a misunderstanding and, therefore, I will be speaking with my CEO and somehow we will be in touch with the media to advise them that they are allowed at the matches.”
The Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development had earlier announced that no spectators would be allowed at the cricket matches “specifically”, the white-ball, one-day, and T20 international matches between the West Indies and Ireland, scheduled for January 8-16 at Sabina Park, in light of the rising COVID-19 positivity rate and the threat of the Omicron variant.