THE West Indies Cricket Umpires’ Association (WICUA) has extended congratulations to the members of the Elite and International Panels for being appointed as officials to officiate in the home series versus Sri Lanka.

According to a release from the WICUA, this is the first in a long time (approximately 20 years) that the body had the opportunity to have a pure West Indies panel officiating in a series in the West Indies.

The WICUA secretary, Vivian Johnson, pointed out that “although this has come about in unusual times caused by the pandemic, we are happy to see our own umpires performing together on home soil. I would like to offer special congratulations to Gregory Brathwaite who has been elevated to the lofty status as a Test umpire.

“We at the WICUA are quite elated at this appointment and are sure that you will showcase your talent, training and experience in showing the world that the umpires in the West Indies are a force to be reckoned with.

“We have no doubt that you will make us proud. Congratulations on becoming the latest Test umpire from the Caribbean. It has been twenty-one years since Billy Doctrove made his Test debut, and within the past two years, we now have two new Test umpires, with you joining Joel Wilson who was elevated in 2019”.

Johnson emphasised that the successes the WICUA is seeing with the elevation to Test umpiring status of Wilson and Brathwaite did not just happen overnight. “It was a well thought-out plan that was developed by the WICB (CWI) and the WICUA in a meeting held at the Cricket Board in June of 2010.

“The decision was made to reduce the regional panel from 36 to 12 senior umpires and to set a motion in train to allow our umpires to attain Test Umpire Status, after not having a new Test umpire for ten years. The programme involved providing the opportunities to be engaged in more First-Class matches, going on exchange programmes involving other Test playing countries and further exposure at the international level.”

Johnson acknowledged that it has taken a long time for those involved in umpiring but stressed that cricket umpiring is a long game and in order for one to be successful, there has to be a lot of patience, commitment and dedication. “We at WICUA have no doubt that the umpires we have at the Elite and International panels have developed these traits and have stuck to these principles in order to reap the rewards that they are now experiencing.”

Johnson encouraged other members of the International panel– Nigel Duguid, Leslie Reifer and Patrick Gustard– to continue to put their best foot forward and their elevation to the highest level will not be too far in the future.

(Frederick Halley)