Powell claims that Pybus “pressed me to divulge details of my personal issue which I did not wish to discuss”

Image courtesy of: ESPNcricinfo

The West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) has denied all the claims made by opening batsman Kieran Powell.

Powell’s main claim against the WICB was that director of cricket Richard Pybus forced him to reveal what personal issues he was having when he took a break from the sport in June last year.

In a media statement last month, Powell claimed that Pybus “pressed me to divulge details of my personal issue which I did not wish to discuss. He then went onto imply, in my opinion, that my future position in the squad would be compromised if I was not willing to disclose this information, which I felt was coercive, intrusive and unjust.”

Responding to Powell’s accusations, the WICB stated that Pybus “categorically rejects the assertion that he coerced Powell into divulging the details of his personal matters”.

The WICB also rejected Powell’s claims that the board axed him when he made himself unavailable for the national team’s home series against New Zealand last year.

“Contrary to Powell’s repeated assertion, at no time did the WICB issue any media release or any other communication stating that Mr. Powell was ‘axed’ from the West Indies Team,” the WICB said. “In all communication with the media and public the WICB consistently respected Powell’s request to treat his matters as private.”

Powell also accused the WICB and national selectors of thwarting his attempt to make his international comeback during the national team’s tour of India and the A team’s tour of Sri Lanka.