Cricket West Indies apologizes after Paul Nixon criticizes handling of Justin Greaves’ injury

Antigua and Barbuda: Cricket West Indies (CWI) has issued an apology after Paul Nixon,  head coach of Antigua and Barbuda Falcons, publicly criticized how the board managed handling all-rounder Justin Greaves’ injury.

Nixon condemned the way in which CWI handled Greaves’ injury after the Falcons’ eight wicket defeat at the hands of Trinidad and Tobago on August 27. He described the lack of player fitness information as “unprofessional” and “disrespectful.”

“I'm very disappointed that we've had no communication with Cricket West Indies in their backroom department for Greaves to come in to us a bit injured, more than a bit injured. So, that was disappointing,” said Nixon during an interview with the reporters.

The Falcons explained that Nixon expressed regret over his remarks in a publicly released statement. Also, they added that the franchise remains committed to working closely with CWI in a respectful and constructive manner.

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The statement released by Falcons started with an explanation that head coach Paul Nixon and the team’s management wanted to provide clarification over the recent comments made about Cricket West Indies (CWI) during one of the team’s matches in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL).

It further stated that there was no intent to insult the work of Cricket West Indies. The Falcons clarified that Paul Nixon regretted his comments and, together with the team, extended a formal apology for any misinterpretation or offense which may have been caused. The statement also stressed their dedication to maintain a strong association with CWI, built on respect, cooperation and open communication to improve West Indies cricket.

Greaves has been sidelined throughout this CPL season, with his most recent appearance being in West Indies’ ODI victory over Pakistan.

Nixon, who took over from Shivnarine Chanderpaul as head coach this season, has led the Falcons to third place on the points table. They have won three out of seven games and also had one no-result so far, which is an improvement from fifth place finish they had last year.

This coming weekend will see the Antigua and Barbuda Falcons take on the Saint Lucia Kings, who at present are in 2nd place.