Ex-Windies stars say team will miss Bravo, Hetmyer in England but 'respects' their call

West Indies' cricketing legends Ian Bishop and Michael Holding backed Darren Bravo, Shimron Hetmyer & Kemmo Paul's decision to skip the upcoming tour of England in July and said that their decisions were respected. West Indies are set to face England in a three-match Test series in the UK starting from July 8. Cricket West Indies (CWI) confirmed that the three players had 'declined the invitation' to tour England and categorically stated that their choice will not be used against them in the process of selection in the future. 

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'Unfortunate'

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Michael Holding called it unfortunate for the trio to miss out on the tour to England and that West Indies will miss their talent. The former Windies pacer laid specific emphasis on Darren Bravo giving the tour a miss and opined that the star should 'resuscitate his career'. Holding called for Bravo to fulfill the prophecy of him going on to become one of West Indies' greatest batsmen and that he needed to show the world his class as a cricketer. 

On the highly rated Hetmyer, Holding added: "Hetmyer, again, I think he's a very, very talented player. I think people have heard me talk about him in the past. Again, I'm sorry that he's not going so that he can get more opportunity to express himself. But I ain't blaming them for not going."

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Ian Bishop, too, said that the players' call to skip the tour must be respected as the decision was taken amid a global crisis due to the coronavirus pandemic, according to the Trinidad Express.

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West Indies team to be quarantined

The first test of the series will commence on July 8 at the Ageas Bowl. The second and third test will be played at the Old Trafford subsequently dates for which are July 16 and July 24. The West Indies are set to arrive in the UK on June 9 and will be quarantined at the Old Trafford for three weeks. The ECB has also stated that decisions on other scheduled matches for England Men and England Women this summer will be determined at a later date.

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