In a potentially embarrassing development for Barbados Cricket, Dr Kishore Shallow, the president of Cricket West Indies (CWI), has poured cold water on a pronouncement from Conde Riley that Barbados has been selected to host the 2024 ICC World Cup final.
The International Cricket Council announced last week that seven Caribbean countries, and the United States, will host matches in the prestigious tournament that began in 1975. Dominica, Guyana, St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Antigua and Barbuda, Trinidad and Tobago and Barbados are the Caribbean countries selected.
Also, in an unprecedented decision, the ICC also stated that matches will also be played in Texas, Florida and New York in the United States.
According to reports, Riley, who was recently re-elected to the post of president of the Barbados Cricket Association (BCA), that he was in possession of documentation that said his country would be hosting the finals next summer.
“Based on the documents that Barbados is earmarked from Cricket West Indies and ICC to host the final, a semi-final and a number of games…”
However, speaking on the Mason and Guest sports talk show in Barbados on Tuesday night, Dr Shallow debunked those claims, saying, “Nothing has been communicated back from ICC to Cricket West Indies about the finals.”
The statement from the CWI president has left the Barbados Cricket Association with potential egg on their faces.