The West Indies Cricket Board has written to territorial boards warning that the Hits and Jams tournament planned here has not been approved and warning that players who participate may face possible sanctions.
The letter dated August 14 by Manager of Operations, Roland Holder said:
“We wish to advise that the Hits and Jams Masters Tournament in Guyana has not been approved by the WICB. Hence this tournament is an unsanctioned tournament and all players who participate may face possible sanctions as outlined in the attached document.
“Should you be aware of any players from your territory who are likely to participate in the above mentioned tournament kindly advise them of the above.
“Should you have any questions or concerns about this, please feel free to contact me at +1 268 481-2454 or rholder@windiescricket.com”.
Organisers Kerwin Bollers and Rawle Ferguson of the Hits and Jams Promotions were reported in yesterday’s Stabroek Sport as saying that Jamaican star batsman Chris Gayle is one of a bevy of stars billed to participate in the second Hits and Jams Entertainment Jamzone Masters Cup Twenty-20 tournament.
Among the stars expected to be on show are Gayle, Kieron Pollard, Sunil Narine, Dwayne Bravo, Dwayne Smith and Sulieman Benn.
The tournament bowls off on Friday and concludes on Sunday.
The four teams contesting for the first place prize money of US$10,000 are Hits and Jams Spartans, Georgetown King’s XI, Hotel Tower New Line Cavaliers and defending champions Universal DVD Club Berbice Titans.
The WICB has been at loggerheads with the Guyana Government over the management of cricket here. The dispute arose after the government installed an interim management committee to replace the Guyana Cricket Board. The WICB says it still recognises the GCB and international matches have since been withdrawn from Guyana as a punitive measure.