By Anthony Foster, Freelance WriterWEST INDIES team manager Ricky Skerritt expressed surprise at allegations that several members of the team were partying until close to 4:00 a.m. on Sunday morning.
That was just hours before being blown away for a record low 47 runs later that morning in the second innings of the first Test against England at Sabina Park.
"Players were seen out partying last night? ... Do we have evidence of that?" he queried when asked by The Gleaner to comment on the situation.
"If anybody can bring any evidence to me, I can assure you that very serious action will be taken," assured Skerritt, when asked how badly partying during the middle of a match affected the players' performance on Sunday.
Informed sources told The Gleaner the players were observed partying at two places on Saturday night.
It is not the first time that the West Indies team has been linked to partying in the middle of a match. During their recent tour to South Africa, The Daily Despatch newspaper reported that a number of players were spotted at an East London nightclub at 3:00 a.m., the morning before the second day's play of their tour match against Border.
The West Indies manager said players have curfew hours, but stated:
CAN'T SAY FOR SURE
"I can't say for sure whether every player was in their room before a certain time last night (Saturday night)," he told The Gleaner Sunday night. "We certainly don't take kindly to players partying during a match or before a match day."
He added: "It is not unusual for accusations to fly everytime the team loses. We have many, many unfounded and unsubstantiated allegations in the past," Skerritt said.
When asked if players can party after a match, he said:
"We don't party after a match when we lose."
