Cricket Board ready to help Noreiga

The Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board (TTCB) stand ready to assist former Test spinner Jack Noreiga who is currently recuperating from abdominal surgery at the Sangre Grande Hospital.

President and chief executive officer (CEO) of the TTCB, Alloy Lequay said yesterday the organisation he heads has always provided for former and current cricketers in need. “I am very sorry to hear that Mr Noreiga is ill but I would like to add that we didn’t have a clue that he was. “I cannot just write a cheque and send it just like that. Someone has to come to us and let us know what is the situation and we will definitely help. “I don’t know Mr Noreiga’s financial position, for all you know he may be well off and doesn’t need our financial help. All in all what I am saying is that we at the Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board (TTCB) will be ready to assist in what ever way we can,” Lequay said. Noreiga, a former Paragon off-spinner holds the record for most wickets by a West Indian in a Test innings when he took nine wickets for 95 runs against India at the Queen’s Park Oval in Port-of-Spain in 1971.

The evergreen cricket administrator said that people are continuing to make irresponsible remarks and writing whatever comes into their heads without first checking the facts. “I don’t know where people get their information from. We at the cricket Board have always extended our hands and when people mention that we have done nothing to help our former cricketers it is pure rubbish they are talking,” he said. Lequay added that the TTCB had a history of helping out national cricketers. “When Inshan Ali was sick we paid for his entire hospitalisation and also his funeral expenses. “Recently Nora St Rose of the Trinidad and Tobago Women’s Cricket Federation was ill and the Board assisted her. “The same was done for even the umpiring fraternity, when we assisted both Camal Basdeo and Harry Mahabal who were both undergoing surgical operations,” Lequay said. He said the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) have certain medical plans in place to deal with the welfare of their players. “For instance when Ken Williams sustained an eye injury during the Trinidad and Tobago/Leewards match, the West Indies Cricket Board gave him US$25,000 and this he used to build his house,” Lequay said. “The Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board also hosted a benefit match for Ken and money was also collected at a One-Day International at the Oval for the former batsman. In the end Williams was happy with the assistance he got,” Lequay said. The outspoken Lequay said he wants the public to know that the cricket Board is a caring organisation and will assist cricketers as much as they could.