ST JOHN’S, Antigua (CMC) — Cricket West Indies (CWI) have retained all 13 umpires on the current senior panel for the next year, a move director of cricket Jimmy Adams believes augurs well for officiating in the region.

The governing body said yesterday it had opted against making any changes to the number of retainer contracts for officials, especially in light of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic which had resulted in a “significant reduction” in domestic cricket last year.

“I am pleased that even in the midst of our financial constraints, CWI will be re-engaging our senior panel of umpires as we recognise and appreciate their important role within the game,” Adams said.

“We all hope that there will be increasing amounts of cricket within the region in the months ahead to allow our best umpires to continue their ongoing development.”

The list is headed by Barbadian Gregory Brathwaite who stood in his debut Test against Sri Lanka in the Caribbean in March, and includes Nigel Duguid who has officiated eight One-Day Internationals (ODI) and the 31-year-old Leslie Reifer Jr, who has stood in five ODIs and nine Twenty20 Internationals.

Jacqueline Williams, the only woman umpire on the circuit, is among those retained along with Zahid Bassarath, Johnathan Blades, Deighton Butler, Patrick Gustard, Danesh Ramdhanie, Verdayne Smith, Christopher Taylor, Carl Tuckett, and Christopher Wright.

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

“CWI invests annually in the panel of umpires due to their fundamental role in ensuring that the spirit and integrity of cricket is preserved, and that the highest possible quality fair play is upheld on the field,” the CWI statement said.

“Investing in a broader pool of umpires who can be rewarded for their hard work and application in developing their skills is vital for the health of cricket at all levels.

Retainer contracts for umpires run from April 1 to March 31 next year.

COVID-19 savaged domestic cricket in the region last year, forcing the abandonment of the last two rounds of the first-class championship in March before ruling out the remainder of the domestic schedule.