Ridiculous, says Gibson - West Indies coach: Not fair to downplay Friday's stoning incident

NEW DELHI, AP:

West Indies coach Ottis Gibson criticised ICC chief executive Haroon Lorgat yesterday for making "a ridiculous statement'' when he described the stoning of the West Indies team bus by disgruntled Bangladesh supporters as a minor incident.

Gibson said it was "not fair'' for Lorgat to downplay Friday's episode, when stones broke two bus windows and caused the West Indies players onboard to duck for cover.

Local fans had earlier been angered by the Bangladesh team's failure in a lopsided nine-wicket loss to West Indies but Lorgat said the attack soon after the bus left the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Dhaka was by disappointed fans who only threw "pebbles.''

"I just want to make it clear first of all and remind Haroon Lorgat of his responsibility,'' Gibson was quoted as saying by the cricinfo website. "He can't sit in a hotel room in Chennai and say they were pebbles. What we heard hitting the bus and smashing glass didn't seem to us to be pebbles.

"So it is not fair to make a statement like that. We as management of West Indies team here believe that was a ridiculous statement to make.''

Seven stones

West Indies media manager Philip Spooner said seven stones hit the right side of the bus, with two of them cracking windows, as it left the stadium in the Dhaka suburb of Mirpur. A policeman confirmed more than three dozen people were arrested in connection with the attack.

"We saw a lot of people,'' Gibson was quoted as saying in Mohali, India, where West Indies play Ireland in their next Group B match. "Suddenly stones were thrown at our bus and a couple of windows smashed. The glass broke, but it did not shatter and no rock came inside ... Most of us ducked down on the floor of the bus.''

"Slightly shaken''

The West Indies Cricket Board had released a statement from Antigua on Saturday saying the players were "slightly shaken'' by the incident but the board was still "satisfied'' with security arrangements at the World Cup.

In the statement, the WICB moved to smooth over any bad feeling, saying its team had always been "warmly received'' in Bangladesh and treated with "great hospitality.''

"The WICB is satisfied with the security arrangements for the Cricket World Cup and the team management will continue to work closely with the event organisers and local officials to ensure that the safety and well-being of the players remain paramount at all times,'' the statement said.

The West Indies team bus was moving in a convoy accompanied by tournament security when it was stoned.

"We don't want to make a big thing out of it,'' Gibson added, "but at the same time, to us, it wasn't a minor incident like Mr. Lorgat was trying to say. Lorgat has the responsibility to be careful what he says in this situation.'