CWI retains all its 13 umpires

Cricket West Indies have retained all 13 umpires on the current senior panel for next year.

Director of Cricket, Jimmy Adams believes the move augurs well for officiating in the region.

CWI said last week it had opted against making any changes to the number of retainer contracts for officials, especially in light of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, which had resulted in a “significant reduction” in domestic cricket last year.

Among those retained are Barbadian Gregory Brathwaite, who stood in his debut Test against. Sri Lanka in the Caribbean in March, Nigel Duiguid who has officiated eight One-Day Internationals and 31-year-old Leslie Reifier Jr, who has stood in five ODIs and nine Twenty Internationals.

Jacqueline Williams, the only female umpire on the circuit, is among those retained.

CWI said the continuous investment in the umpiring panel was critical to the preservation of the game’s integrity.