The St Vincent government on Monday night passed the ‘1975 Men’s West Indies World Cup Cricket Team Citizenship Bill, 2025.
The bill was passed without support from the Opposition New Democratic Party.
In presenting the bill in parliament, Gonsalves stated that the law was intended to recognise and acknowledge the cricket legends’ contributions to the sport of cricket and the broader culture of the West Indies.
“What we are seeking to do in this bill is to provide the surviving 12 members of the West Indies Cricket World Cup team with the opportunity to apply for citizenship, even if they have not satisfied other conditions,” the prime minister told Parliament. He added that if any of the 12 former West Indies cricketers to whom the law applies wish to become citizens of St Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG), they need only write to the minister responsible for citizenship, indicating their desire to be registered as a Vincentian citizen. The law does not automatically declare any of the 12 former cricketers’ citizens of SVG”.
Gonsalves stated he did not know if any of the former cricketers would accept the citizenship offer; however, Clive Lloyd, the Guyanese captain of the team, has indicated his intention to do so.
“We may offer it and nobody applies, nobody takes advantage of it, or some may do, and some may not, or all of them do. I’m hopeful that as many as possible will.”
