JCA boss OK with Campbell’s four-game ban

WESTERN BUREAU:

PRESIDENT of the Jamaica Cricket Association (JCA), Dr Donovan Bennett, has expressed satisfaction with the Cricket West Indies (CWI) four-game suspension imposed on John Campbell, the Jamaica Scorpions captain, for his role in last month’s CG United Super50 debacle which led to the final, Scorpions versus Barbados Pride, being forfeited.

“Remember that John (Campbell) is coming off a two-year ban, and if he had gotten the full gamut of what was being thrown at him, it would have been five years,” Bennett said while sharing that the JCA could not have done any further representation that would result in a more favourable disciplinary action against the Scorpions’ captain.

“Not only could he have been banned from eight white-ball games but there is a strong possibility that he would have been banned from four-day games also, which would have set him back further,” the JCA president explained.

In a rain-affected final of the Super50 on November 23, both captains failed to be present for the toss, allowing time to elapse past the latest starting point. Campbell has since admitted wrongdoing, but Barbados Pride captain Raymon Reifer has yet to respond to the charges issued against him and, therefore, has not yet been disciplined.

LEVEL THREE CHARGES

Both captains were slapped with Level 3 charges by match referee Reon King following the incident.

As a result of the debacle, Cricket West Indies announced that no prize money would be awarded, and no match fees would be paid to either team involved in the final. The champions were set to receive US$100,000, while the runner-up would have received US$50,000.

Bennett, in an interview with The Gleaner, revealed that the final outcome of Campbell’s suspension was the result of intense negotiations by the West Indies Players Association (WIPA).

“This was a negotiated settlement by WIPA, and they are very comfortable with what has happened. In fact, they were the initiators of this negotiation, and the JCA stood with WIPA because we thought it was in John’s interest,” he said.

Bennett said after the four-game suspension, Campbell will still enjoy the pleasure of red-ball games and that the Scorpions’ captain is happy with the outcome.

“It’s a reasonable settlement, and it’s in John’s best interest to have done what he did and to accept his wrong and accept his punishment, given to him. The player is not unhappy with the result of what took place,” said Bennett. “As far as his international career is concerned, he won’t be affected because he will be able to play all of his red-ball season for Jamaica, and if he does well, he’ll be able to get back into the West Indies Test team.”

Turning to the condition of the pitch, the JCA president is insisting that both teams should have taken to the field and then used the methods available to them within the rules of the game.

“I don’t think we can even discuss whether play should have taken place; both teams should have taken the field,” Bennett insisted, while pointing to the captain’s report as the route with which they should have taken to handle the matter.

“Even if conditions were not fit for play and the umpires called for play, you have to play, because the umpires are the only people who are given that right and that power to make that decision,” continued Bennett. “Therefore, once play is called, you must play; if you have a problem, with the condition there is something called a ‘captain’s report’, which is where you write and point out all the missteps made by the umpires and put them on the back foot to answer those questions. That’s how this thing should have been done.”