Three West Indies players reject invitation to tour England because of Covid-19 concerns

Three West Indies players pulled out of the tour to England over coronavirus fears despite a last minute briefing from the chief medical officer of the England and Wales Cricket Board.

Darren Bravo, Shimron Hetmyer and Keemo Paul all declined the tour despite the assurances from Professor Nick Peirce about biosecurity arrangements when he spoke to all players, coaches and officials on a conference call on Monday evening.

The players were told after the meeting to give a final answer on their availability and the fact only three have decided not to tour is a success given it looked at one stage as if the whole series would not happen.

Bravo is understood to have been reluctant to risk touring England right from the beginning and did not change his mind despite the extensive precautions put in place by the ECB. Paul and Hetmyer have only recently become concerned about the trip but are both from Guyana where fears about the virus are rising due to the situation in neighbouring Brazil and emergency measures were yesterday extended for another two weeks. Both players also have IPL deals, worth more than $1m in Hetmyer’s case, which gives them the financial security to turn down a tour.

All three emailed Cricket West Indies on Tuesday saying they remain committed to playing Test cricket and have been told their decisions will not be held against them in future selection meetings.

The trio all played in the last Test between the two teams last year in St Lucia but were not automatic picks for the first Test next month at the Ageas Bowl. Bravo was dropped for the West Indies last Test match against Afghanistan after averaging just 13 since ending his three year exile from the team.

Hetmyer’s brilliance in white-ball cricket has not transferred to consistency in Tests. He put England on the backfoot with an aggressive 81 in the victory in Barbados last year but his scores fell away once they targeted him with the short ball.

Paul bowled a fiery opening spell in St Lucia but limped out halfway through the Test with an ankle injury.

West Indies are not short of exciting fast bowling talent after producing quicker pitches at first class level and Paul has been replaced by Chemar Holder, one of the rising talents of Caribbean cricket.

West Indies beat England 2-1 last year and are holders of the Wisden Trophy but their record in England is poor in recent years. They have not won a Test series here since 1988 but despite the three pull-outs this squad looks one of the more competitive to have toured England for some time. The team is better managed, the board more settled and Jason Holder a respected captain.

There is more long-term stability about their team now with Phil Simmons reappointed head coach on a four-year contract last November and Roger Harper appointed chief selector. Jimmy Adams is director of cricket and has improved the standards of fitness and professionalism in the islands while Holder is a calm, authoritative figure as well as the No1 ranked all-rounder in the world. England’s only Test victory on the last tour came when Holder was suspended in St Lucia for slow over rates.

The biggest surprise was no place in the 14-man Test squad for Shannon Gabriel, who led the attack against England last year but has struggled since then, enduring an unsuccessful stint with Gloucestershire last summer and undergoing ankle surgery in November.

He is one of 11 reserve players along with fellow fast bowler Oshane Thomas who provide plenty of back up in a 25-man touring party as well as numbers for inter-squad matches before the first Test.

The players will leave on a chartered flight paid for by the ECB next week and arrive in England on June 9 before UK government approval for the tour which is not expected for another couple of weeks.

The players will be tested for Covid-19 before departure and will spend two weeks training in quarantine at Emirates Old Trafford, staying at the Hilton Hotel on the ground.

The West Indies players have had their salaries cut by 50 per cent due to long standing funding problems exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic. Their match fees have been increased to £5,000 for this tour and Cricket West Indies are hoping that standing by England, and touring in their desperate hour of need, will be reciprocated in the future.