Prime Minister Dr. Ralph Gonsalves has expressed disappointment that St. Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) will not be hosting T20 matches against Australia in 2025, despite assurances from Cricket West Indies (CWI).
Speaking on the matter, Dr. Gonsalves revealed that Finance Minister Camillo Gonsalves has a WhatsApp message from a CWI representative confirming that SVG was given the assurance of hosting the games. However, on Wednesday, February 5, 2025, when CWI released its official fixtures, SVG was not included.
“We received correspondence just two days before stating that we would get some female games in 2025,” Gonsalves said. “I have no problem with female games; we have to support the females. But that is not what we were assured.”
“Camillo, who has been dealing with them, even said we have Holiday Inn. Even though they only cater for breakfast, we thought we could make arrangements. There is also Sandals—though expensive, we thought we could’ve discussed and seen how we could assist. But nothing at all,” Gonsalves reiterated.
“I wouldn’t want to believe that there was any perfidy involved. I would never suggest that the president of Cricket West Indies, because of him being a member of the New Democratic Party, would try to see St. Vincent at a disadvantage in an election year. I would never suggest that at all,” he stated.
This development follows SVG’s successful hosting of five matches in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in 2024 and hosting Bangladesh for 3 T20s.