FORMER West Indies cricketer Franklyn Rose has been deported from New Zealand. The fast bowler, who played 19 Test matches for the West Indies between March 1997 and August 2000, was put on a plane bound for Jamaica at about 18:00hrs yesterday (New Zealand time).The 44-year-old Rose had been in New Zealand without a valid visa since 2012.
Prior to that he was a coach at the University of Auckland Cricket Club. Following the expiration of his visa, Rose reportedly worked as a volunteer cricket coach at several schools in Auckland and the Salvation Army. In the last five weeks, however, he had been detained at the Mount Eden Prison.
Ramya Sathyanathan, Rose’s attorney said a last-minute request was sent to suspend the deportation pending consideration of Rose’s humanitarian circumstances.
She said the cricketer suffered depression, which he claimed was made worse by being detained. The request was denied by Immigration Minister, Craig Foss.
A deportation order for Rose was issued in 2014.
During his career, Rose took 53 Test wickets at average of 30.88. He also scored 344 runs with a highest score of 69 and averaged 13.23.