Ricky Skerritt, the Cricket West Indies (CWI) president, talked up the financial struggles that the governing body of the Caribbean is facing because of the game's indefinite suspension amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Skerritt said the deadly outbreak has badly hurt the board's already poor economical strength to an extent that it requires to be in an "ICU" for some time, as the CWI takes all possible cost-cutting measures to ride through this phase.
"This crisis has put our already poor financial state into ICU. It is like going to the doctor with an illness, and as he is about to prescribe the medication, you get a stroke,” Skerritt said in an interview with Guardian Media Sports.
West Indies' visit to the UK for three Test matches against England has been postponed while the team's home series versus South Africa, New Zealand are now greatly uncertain, considering the lockdown in place.
After discussions with accounting and financial management consulting firm PKF, that had presented the board with a 63-page review of this phase last December, a committee was set-up by CWI.
This committee will now give a follow-up report on the matter, expectedly at the board’s next quarterly meeting on May 27, having assessed all implications of rescheduling and possibly cancelling fixtures.
“What this committee will do is to look at that and also look at the emergency situation that this COVID-19 pandemic has thrown us into and recommend what can be done,” Skerritt said.
"This committee may expect to be looking to not massage on the body but make deep surgical incisions, as far as the cutting-back process goes. What we have been doing all the while is cost saving, but I think the time has come for cost cutting."
“We have about 100 cricketers on retainers, and the board has had to fund this professional league. This has come at great expense to us, and all these things will be looked at,” he added.
(Inputs from PTI)
