Cricket West Indies (CWI) chief executive Johnny Grave has revealed that the trio of Darren Bravo, Shimron Hetmyer and Keemo Paul were genuinely concerned for their families' well-being amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and that's why they opted out of the tour of England.
All three centrally contracted players declined to be selected for the bio-secure three-match Test series in July citing family concerns.
Grave said he understands the players' issue in travelling to the UK in these difficult times.
Read Also: ECB confident of bio-secure arrangements for West Indies Test series
“Keemo Paul is the sole breadwinner in his entire household and wider family. He was really concerned if something happened to him how his family would cope," he told ESPNcricinfo.
Paul wrote an email to the board explaining his reasons for not going to the tour.
"He wrote passionately about how hard a decision it was for him and how much he loves playing for West Indies, but in consultation with his family he doesn’t feel he can leave them and doesn’t want to go on the tour," said Grave about the 22-year-old, who has played 3 Tests, 19 ODIs and 18 T20Is for the West Indies.
Hetmyer, on his part, also wrote to the board that he "didn’t feel comfortable from a safety point of view, leaving his home, leaving his family and heading over to England", confirmed Grave.
The young talented left-hand batsman has been a regular feature of the Test side since his debut in 2017.
With the number of positive cases in the UK crossing 2.7 lakh, Bravo too didn't feel it right for him to leave his young family for a cricket tour.
"He (Bravo) also mentioned he made his decision with great remorse as it was always a huge honour for him to play for West Indies,” Grave said.
"So, yes, perfectly valid reasons and the ones that we fully respect. We were never going to force or try to coerce and we didn’t ask them to reconsider."
CWI won't be holding anything against the three players, as the board had already cleared in an earlier statement.
“It is in everyone’s interest if you are not comfortable to say so and not tour and be certain that it is not going to be held against you."
"Rather than go, be worried, and ultimately don’t perform or want to come home. So it is a good decision all round. We are still taking a strong Test side to England," Grave added.
A 25-man touring party will arrive in England next Tuesday (July 9) to go through a three-week quarantine period before playing the first Test in Southampton from July 8. The next two games will be played in Manchester. The series will be conducted behind closed doors in bio-secure environment with highest safety protocols followed for training and on-field action.
(Inputs from ESPNcricinfo)
