CWI boss: Integrity of the game comes first

Cricket West Indies (CWI) president Kishore Shallow has affirmed the cricket board's zero-tolerance policy for actions which bring the game into disrepute after two Guyana Harpy Eagles players were fined for ball-tampering offences in their West Indies Four-Day Championship clash with Trinidad and Tobago Red Force at the Queen's Park Oval in St Clair.

The final round clash ended in a draw on April 12, handing Guyana their eighth four-day title in ten years and their third straight crown. However, Guyana's title win was overshadowed as veteran spinner Veerasammy Permaul and top-order batsman Kevlon Anderson were fined by CWI for level-two offences related to "changing the condition of the ball in breach of Law 42.3. of the Laws of Cricket."

In an April 14 CWI release, Shallow congratulated Guyana on their title-clinching feat. However, he condemned the behaviour of the aforementioned players.

"While we celebrate the success of the season, I want to remind players that CWI holds the integrity of the game in the highest regard," he said.

"There is zero tolerance for conduct that undermines the spirit of cricket and brings the game into disrepute. The legacy of West Indies cricket has always been built on talent, pride, and integrity, and we are committed to upholding our core values."

Permaul was fined 75 per cent of his match fee for the level-two breach during the first day of the match. The charge was laid by on-field umpires Christopher Taylor and Kashif Sandy after the end of the first day. Permaul admitted to the offence and accepted the sanction proposed by match referee Michael Ragoonath, and as such, there was no need for a formal hearing.

Meanwhile, Anderson was fined 90 per cent of his match fee for a similar offence on day three on April 11 during TT's second innings. Anderson accepted the sanction proposed by the match referee, and as such, there was no need for a formal hearing.

In each instance the ball was changed, with the batting team given the option to choose.

Meanwhile, Guyanese allrounder Ronaldo Alimohamed was fined 65 per cent of his match fee for also a level-two breach of the CWI Code of Conduct. The medium pacer breached Article 2.1–2.5; Paragraph 3.6 of the Code of Conduct – "Throw the ball (or any other item of cricket equipment such as a water bottle) at or near player or official in an inappropriate and/or dangerous manner."

Speaking to Newsday at the end of the match on April 12, Guyana captain Tevin Imlach said he didn't want his team to be seen as cheaters.

"(It does put a bit of a taint on the title). It's something you don't want to be known for," Imlach said. "You don't want to play cricket that way where you're being accused of stuff like that. We play hard cricket. To use that is going to paint the Guyana team as cheaters or we're doing something wrong, and it's obviously not a good look."

Guyana topped the table with 126.6 points, while TT slipped to third as they ended on 111 points. Barbados Pride (121.2 points) finished second after their dramatic final-round win against Leeward Islands Hurricanes.