West Indies 'pulls out'
Payments dispute stumps Windies tour midway
West Indies cricket plunged into an unprecedented crisis following the decision of the team not to go ahead with the current tour of India.
The team was to play the fifth ODI at Kolkata and a one-off T20 match at Cuttack followed by Tests at Hyderabad, Bangalore and Ahmedabad.
The decision was conveyed by the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) after repeated negotiations with the team and the representatives of the Wavell Hinds-headed West Indies Players Association (WIPA) failed to solve the stalemate related to payment.
In a press release, The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary Sanjay Patel confirmed the developments.
“The WICB has informed the BCCI of its decision to cancel the rest of its tour of India because of a dispute with its players, and has advised the BCCI that its players will return home immediately,” said Patel.
The dispute surfaced at the start of the tour when West Indies played the first ODI at Kochi. Intervention by Board officials had ensured smooth progress of the mach.
West Indies captain Dwayne Bravo, unhappy with the manner in which Hinds had handled the dispute, had indicated the loss of faith in the WIPA.
Having waited for things to improve, the players on Friday went ahead with the threat by refusing to participate in any further cricketing activity.
At the toss, Bravo communicated the decision. “My team is standing behind me and it’s been a tough tour for us. We don’t want cricket to suffer and we don’t want our fans to suffer. It is time to make a decision though. Must give credit to my boys for all the fight they’ve put up,” said Bravo. This after reports that Hinds was planning to come to India and sort out the issue.
Patel added, “The BCCI is shocked and extremely disappointed at the decision taken by the WICB. The WICB’s inability to resolve internal issues with its players and allowing the same to affect an ongoing bilateral series does not reflect well on any of those involved. The withdrawal gives little thought to the future of the game, the players and the long standing relations between the BCCI and the WICB.”
Indicating its displeasure at being let down, Patel stressed, “The BCCI wishes to inform all its stakeholders, especially ardent fans of the Indian cricket team, that this is a unilateral decision taken by the WICB and its players, in spite of several appeals to the WICB to honour its commitment and complete the series.”
This chapter is an addition to the history of disputes that the West Indian players have had with their administrators. Ahead of the 1998 tour to South Africa too the players had threatened to pull out of the tour and it needed the negotiating skills of Ali Bacher to pull off a compromise.
This act, however, leaves the India-West Indies relations in a sour state. The BCCI, Patel promised, “will pursue all options available to protect its rights, whilst seeking appropriate action from the ICC to ensure that its interests and those of the game at large will not suffer any damage due to such acts of indiscretion.”
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