ST JOHN’S, Antigua, CMC – The Regional Under-19 Championship will go ahead in Guyana as planned, the West Indies Cricket Board has assured.
Doubt has surrounded the staging of the region’s premier youth tournament in that country ever since the WICB and the Guyana government became locked in an impasse last month.
However, WICB president Dave Cameron said he expected the current standoff to be solved amicably and as such, there would be no need to relocate the tournament.
“We are confident that all matters pertaining to cricket in Guyana will be suitably resolved to the satisfaction of all stakeholders and this will allow for the Under 19 Tournament to proceed as originally planned,” Cameron said in a statement.
Guyana was axed as a venue for the recent third Test between West Indies and New Zealand, after parliament there passed the controversial Cricket Administration Bill.
The WICB slammed the legislation as “undesirable and inconsistent with International Cricket Council tenets”, and argued it was tantamount to government interference in the Guyana Cricket Board.
Subsequently, the Board asked President Donald Ramotar not to sign the bill into law but with no assurance forthcoming, moved the Test to Barbados late last month.
However, a WICB delegation headed by vice president Emmanuel Nanthan recently met with officials of the Guyana government, the GCB and opposition parties in a series of meetings in Georgetown, in attempt to resolve the issue.
According to the Board, these discussions “paved the way for the anticipated resolution to all outstanding matters with a Memorandum of Understanding to be signed pending approval of the parties.”
The tournament is set to run from July 20th to August 10th and will feature Barbados, Guyana, Jamaica, Leeward Islands, Trinidad and Tobago, Windward Islands and ICC Americas.