With several members of the West Indies and India national cricket teams unable to travel to Florida, USA, for the remainder of the T20I series due to visa issues, the intervention of President Irfaan Ali ensured that members of the sides arrived on local shores for the considerations of the US Embassy.
This was disclosed by an official release from the Guyana Cricket Board. According to the correspondence, several cricketers from both squads did not possess the requisite US visas to travel, which prompted the Cricket West Indies (CWI) to file for interviews with the local embassy in Georgetown.
The release stated, “However, it was the timely intervention of His Excellency Dr. Irfaan Ali that enabled members of both teams to be present in Guyana for the courtesies of the US Embassy. President Dr. Irfaan Ali continues to demonstrate his love for cricket, and his government’s unwavering commitment to promote the development of our national game.”
The players were eventually interviewed on Wednesday, immediately after the third match. India presently leads the series 2-1. West Indies and India are scheduled to contest the remaining two T20I matches in the five- match series in Florida, USA, tomorrow, and Sunday August 7.
The highly anticipated matches, which was the reason for the CWI’s decision to urgently travel to Guyana, are anticipated to be attended by scores of individuals from the Guyanese and West Indian diaspora in the United States of America.
“Commendations must also be given to the Indian High Commissioner to Guyana, Dr K.J. Srinivasa, who worked collaboratively with the Government of Guyana through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to facilitate the process”, the release added.
