West Indies cricketer hailed for generosity
West Indies fast-bowler, Shannon Gabriel, has come in for praise from veteran cricket administrator, Lockhart Sebastien, for his generosity in giving towards the hurricane relief efforts in Dominica.
Sebastien, a Dominican who is also a former West Indies cricketer, said Gabriel made a substantial contribution before he left for the two-Test tour of Zimbabwe last Monday.
“I want to make a special mention [of] Shannon Gabriel. I met him last week and he said to me, ‘Sebo, I need to give you some things to take home because things are rough.’ I told him no problem,” Sebastien recounted.
“On Sunday he came to the Brian Lara Stadium and he opened his vehicle and I asked him which box should I take. He looked and me and said ‘everything.’
Brand new generators
“In it were two brand new generators and maybe US$1,000 of stuff and I said to myself people look at cricketers and say they are greedy. This is a guy with a kind heart … I didn’t ask him for anything and he brought all this stuff and you have to congratulate people like that.
“I was stunned by his contribution. I must mention that Gus (Logie) made a contribution as well.”
Hurricane Maria, a category five system on the Saffir-Simpson scale, struck Dominica last month leaving 30 dead and causing widespread devastation.
Windsor Park damaged
There was also damage to the country’s lone Test venue, Windsor Park, which has hosted five Tests over the last seven years, including a thrilling finale to the Pakistan series last May.
The Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board, Queen’s Park Cricket Club and Sports Company of Trinidad and Tobago joined forces to stage a Hurricane Relief Twenty20 match on Saturday, to raise funds for those countries affected both by Maria and Hurricane Irma.
Situation in Dominica remain grave
Sebastien, a former Windward Islands player, said the situation in Dominica remained grave and any assistance would be welcomed.
“Some people will not be able to survive this and it could take a long, long, time to recover,” he said.
“If you visited Dominica before the hurricane and return now you would wonder if it is the same place. Dominica was a country that had so many trees. It looks like some army men came and decided to bomb the place.
“All our agriculture is gone and I fear we will be living very unhealthy in Dominica because our supermarkets were destroyed and we don’t know what we will eat.”
