Former CEO of the ICC Cricket World Cup, Chris Dehring, has made a heartfelt plea for the Government, Opposition, Jamaica Cricket Association, and the Jamaican people to end the persecution and extend honors to cricket legend Lawrence Rowe, who was banned from Caribbean cricket due to his participation in rebel tours in the early 1980s.
Dehring delivered the keynote address at the 50th-anniversary banquet celebrating Rowe’s historic triple century against England in 1974. The event took place in Broward County, Florida, one of the venues for the upcoming ICC T20 Cricket World Cup.
Rowe was among several West Indian cricketers who participated in rebel tours to apartheid-era South Africa. Facing limited opportunities and financial constraints, Rowe and others chose to play in these tours, resulting in lifetime bans from Caribbean cricket in 1983. They also faced social and professional ostracism.
Significant celebration was not held in Jamaica
Dehring, in advocating for Rowe’s forgiveness, expressed disappointment that such a significant celebration was not held in Jamaica, pointing out that it should have garnered full support from the Jamaican government, cricket association, and the people of Jamaica. He drew attention to the fact that the banquet’s location in Florida mirrored the absence of Jamaica as a host for the T20 Cricket World Cup, highlighting his dismay at the current state of affairs.
Dehring also criticized the mural at Sabina Park, which celebrates notable Jamaican cricketers but excludes Rowe. He likened this omission to erasing Rowe’s contributions to the sport and suggested that it was time to end this oversight.
In his closing remarks, Dehring drew parallels between Rowe’s situation and other instances where individuals who committed more severe offenses were accepted back into society. He urged the cricketing community to forgive Rowe and free him from the consequences of the past, emphasizing the need to recognize his contributions to cricket and allow him to move forward.
