West Indies in India 2014-15 Players hold WICB responsible for pullout...

[socafighter]

BCCI may consider freezing bilateral ties with West Indies
PTI
Mumbai, October 18, 2014

First Published: 19:05 IST(18/10/2014)


A livid BCCI may contemplate a freeze on bilateral series with the West Indies for five years and claim hefty damages for the Caribbean team's unprecedented move to pull out of the remainder of the India tour in the wake of an acrimonious unresolved pay dispute with its board.

The exact course of action and the amount of compensation will come up for discussion at BCCI's all powerful Working Committee Meeting which has been convened on October 21 in Hyderabad.

The aggrieved Caribbean players, who were persuaded to take the field for the fourth ODI in Dharamsala on Friday, conveyed their decision to call off the remaining part of tour to the BCCI, which is now contemplating legal action against the visitors.

Some top board members are of the view that a stern message should be sent to West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) for abandoning the tour and creating a huge problem for the BCCI.

These BCCI officials not only want a ban on future series against the West Indies but also a bar on the participation of the Caribbean players in the IPL.

However, that is not a view shared by a majority of the members who feel that the players are not fault and should not be punished.

"We have suffered huge losses due to the decision of the West Indies to pull out of the tour. We are going to claim all the damages and pursue the matter with ICC. We have convened an emergent working committee meeting to discuss the issue as well as the visit, at short notice, by Sri Lanka," BCCI secretary Sanjay Patel told PTI.

"The working committee members will have dialogue on this and after that we may consider to not pursue further Future Tour Programmes (FTP) with the West Indies."
Patel said he was busy from morning till midnight on Friday in view of the sudden "unprecedented" move by the West Indies to abandon the tour after playing, with reluctance, the fourth and penultimate ODI in Dharamsala.

"I had a very hectic time and this was an unprecedented decision. We will discuss all these at the working committee. There will be a governing council meeting of IPL preceding the WC meeting," he added.

Patel had said in a statement on Friday: "The BCCI would like to clarify that despite all its efforts, the Micromax Cup India vs West Indies ODI series has been curtailed because of the ongoing issue between WICB and its players, and the withdrawal of the WI team from the ongoing tour of India."

The BCCI secretary had also provided a timeline of the controversy-hit tour from the time the West Indies reached Kochi to play the first ODI till Friday when the BCCI received a communication from team manger Richie Richardson informing the former that the visitors will not play any more scheduled matches on the tour after Friday's ODI.

Patel also said that Sri Lanka will play the ODIs between November 1 and 14 and that the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) was also willing to send its team.

"We had already contacted the Sri Lanka board who had accepted the invitation on short notice. But they have to go back home for their next series against England," said Patel.

BCCI joint secretary Anurag Thakur is among the more vocal functionaries of the board in the wake of the pull out. He wants the board to cut all ties with the Caribbean team.

"BCCI tried their level best to convince them but they were adamant not to play due to their internal pay dispute with the board," Thakur had said.

Thakur sympathised with the West Indies players but said pulling out of the tour was not the right way to show protest over a pay dispute.

"They should have behaved more responsibly. The behaviour of players and West Indies board is not right. For the future tour programmes, BCCI should not play with the West Indies.

"They need to pay for the losses BCCI has incurred from this tour. That way no board or player in the near future should do this kind of practice which goes against the game of cricket," said Thakur, who is also the Himachal cricket boss.

The hurriedly cobbled up series with the Sri Lankan team has however jeopardised their skills training schedule. This was reflected in a tweet by senior cricketer Kumar Sangakkara on Saturday morning.

"Our 6 weeks of pure fitness work ends abruptly. Have a week to do a month's requirement of skills work before India. Planning ahead anyone?" the former skipper asked in a tweet.

Sri Lankans are currently under an intense fitness programme conducted by the former national rugby union skipper Chandrishan Perera.

The programme was tasked at conditioning players for the busy schedule ahead leading up to next year's World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.

The West Indies players were adamant to withdraw their service since they were unhappy with the new contracts, offered to them after landing in India.

As per the new contracts, agreed between the WICB and the Players Association (WIPA), the cricketers reportedly suffered a 75% cut in their salaries.

[socafighter]

$M damage
WICB could be facing huge payout after tour pullout

Story Created: Oct 18, 2014 at 9:21 PM ECT

 The cost of the West Indies pullout of their tour of India could run into the tens of millions as the Board of Control for Cricket contemplates taking legal action against the West Indies Cricket Board.

According to a ESPNcricinfo article, the BCCI is likely to claim damages of that could possibly reach US$65 million however the BCCI’s working committee will decide whether to go ahead with the claim at a meeting on October 21 in Hyderabad.

The loss of revenue for the BCCI comes after the West Indies players decided to fly home after the fourth ODI after objecting to a new payment structure which was signed off by the players’ representatives the West Indies Players Association.

The withdrawal of the West Indies players effectively canceled the remaining ODI, one Twenty20 and three Tests.  This meant that the BCCI lost out on revenue for 17 match-days and although Sri Lanka agreed to fill in for West Indies and play five ODIs in India in November, the BCCI will still lose income for 12 match-days for the 2014-15 season and it is likely to claim those damages from the WICB.

BCCI secretary Sanjay Patel told ESPNcricinfo: “We have referred the matter to our legal cell and asked them to let us know by 21st about how we can pursue the issue legally.”
Though Patel said that the figures were still being computed, he noted, “they [WICB] entered into a bilateral agreement with us, and they abandoned the tour due to their internal issues, so we will have to seek compensation. But, depending on the legal advice, the working committee will decide the future course of action.”

In a BBCI press release on Friday, the BCC said it “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.”
“The withdrawal gives little thought to the future of the game, the players and the long standing relations between the BCCI and the WICB,” the BCCI release added.

The BCCI’s revenue is primarily generated through broadcast sponsorship, series-title sponsorship, team-title sponsorship, apparel sponsorship, minor share of advertising from host broadcaster, gate receipts and in-stadia advertising.

Since the broadcast and series-title sponsorships deals are on a per match basis, irrespective of whether it’s a T20, Test or ODI, that income is unlikely to be affected since the five cancelled matches against West Indies (three Tests, an ODI and a Twenty20) will be replaced by five ODIs against Sri Lanka.

However, since the broadcaster’s revenue through advertising is going to be affected with the loss of 12 match-days, including a full Test series, that will have an impact on the BCCI’s coffers as the board gets a minor share of advertising revenue from the host broadcaster.

[socafighter]

Lloyd, Walsh: Pullout a mistake
Story Created: Oct 18, 2014 at 9:18 PM ECT
Express

 Former captain and West Indies Cricket Board selection committee chairman Clive Lloyd has apologised for the Caribbean team’s unprecedented move to pull out of remainder of India tour in the wake of an acrimonious pay dispute with WICB, saying that it was a mistake on the part of the players to have done so.

Another West Indies selector Courtney Walsh said was also not in support of players’ strikes as a first option and would have preferred negotiations to be fully explored first in order to find a solution to the ongoing bitter impasse.

“I heard that there may be a strike and that the team may be returning home. I don’t have the facts, but to me that would be another sad day for West Indies cricket,” Walsh lamented.
“I don’t think you should have out dirty linen in public. It could have been handled a lot better. If efforts were made first and nothing happened, then you sort of take other measures, but if the first thing you want to do is strike, well, I don’t think it’s right.”

Walsh, who was part of the West Indies team 16 years ago which refused to travel on to South Africa from London in a dispute with the WICB over tour fees, said the regional game was now “past that stage”.

“We’ve all had issues with the board, from Viv Richards, Clive Lloyd and I was part of the team that had to strike — or didn’t leave England for various reasons,” Walsh pointed out.
“But we have gone past that stage and you want to give everything a try first. All of us want the players to be happy but there is a right way and a wrong way of going about it.”

Meanwhile Lloyd said “I would like to apologise for the West Indies team aborting the India tour. It is a mistake on the part of players to have the left the tour in between.”

“We have great affection and love for Indian people and I hope that this will not affect our future relations. I hope the damage is not irreparable,” said Lloyd, who was with the West Indies team in India for the tour.

[socafighter]

Andy Roberts: Can’t hold WICB to ransom
Story Created: Oct 18, 2014 at 9:18 PM ECT
Express
 
 Former West Indies fast bowling great Sir Andy Roberts is against the move by the West Indies players to abandon the tour of India saying, “the players cannot hold the Board to ransom.”

“I am not at all happy. It is a sad day for West Indies cricket,” he told the Mid-Day website of the current situation.
The saga started when the West Indies players threatened to withdraw their services on the eve of the first One-Day International against India due to a dispute with their representative body—West Indies Players Association--and the West Indies Cricket Board over a new payment structure.

The situation escalated during the fourth ODI on Friday when the players announced that they will not take part in the remainder of the tour.
According to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) press release, it was “a unilateral decision taken by the WICB and its players.”

West Indies were scheduled to play one more ODI in Kolkata, a Twenty20 match and three Tests.
The BCC subsequently announced that Sri Lanka confirmed to play a five-match ODI series with India from November 1 to 15.

“Our cricket is struggling to survive. The players should look back from where they have come and where they have reached today,” said Roberts.
Roberts also slammed the WICB for not resolving the players’ pay issue.

“I am not a fan of the West Indies Board. They have done a lot of foolish things in the past as well. The WICB should look at the benefits of the players and not just the 15 players of the team,” he added.

[socafighter]

BCCI not going after WI players
Story Created: Oct 18, 2014 at 9:17 PM ECT
Express

 The West Indies team may have abruptly decided to end their India tour on Friday due to a pay dispute but their decision is not going to jeopardise the Caribbean cricketers’ participation in the cash-rich Indian Premier League (IPL) T20 next season.

This is according to Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary Sanjay Patel who made it clear that the West Indies players’ participation in the T20 extravaganza is safe.
Dwayne Bravo, Chris Gayle, Kieron Pollard and Sunil Narine have become household names in India due their performances in the IPL while Ravi Rampaul, Lendl Simmons, Andre Russell, Daren Sammy, Dwayne Smith, Samuel Badree and Jason Holder have also featured in the T20 tournament.

“There is no question of stopping them (West Indies players) from playing in the IPL. Our problem is with the West Indies Board and not their players. Whatever is happening is between their players and Board. The BCCI is not at all concerned with it. We have a contract with the WICB. Also, a lot of these West Indies players are bought by the franchises,” Patel was quoted as saying in a Mid-Day article on Friday.

The article also said that Patel had informed that the BCCI called an urgent Working Committee meeting in Hyderabad on October 21 to discuss the matter.

“Members will discuss what sort of a relationship to have with the West Indies board henceforth, and whether we should play with them in future will also be discussed,” said Patel
ESPNcricinfo noted that according to the draft FTP, India are supposed to play ten Tests, 15 ODIs and four T20s over five series during the FTP cycle from 2015 to 2023.
Four of the five series are scheduled to be played in the West Indies.

“The working committee members will have dialogue on this and after that we may consider to not pursue further FTP programmes with West Indies,” Patel was quoted as saying by Press Trust of India yesterday.

“I had a very hectic time and this was an unprecedented decision. We will discuss all these at the working committee,” Patel added.

Withdrawal timeline


7 October 2014:

Mr Dave Cameron sent a copy of a letter addressed to Mr Wavell Hinds, which stated that the failure of the West Indies players to take the field will leave the WICB with —‘no alternative but to cancel the match and notify the BCCI accordingly and recall the team.’

8 October 2014:

Around 3 a.m. India time, Mr  Dave Cameron sent a mail to the BCCI stating he is withdrawing the team from the tour. Mr Sanjay Patel rushed to Kochi and spoke to the WI players and managed to get on with the match.

12 October 2014:

Mr Patel met Mr Cameron in Dubai and asked him for a confirmation that the rest of the tour will go on. Mr Cameron assured that by close of business on October 15, he will confirm one way or the other.

AM of 16 October 2014:

There was no response from Mr  Cameron.

PM of 16 October 2014:

Mr Patel sent a reminder mail to Mr Cameron, seeking an urgent response.

17 October 2014 - 3 a.m.:

Mr Cameron sent a response stating that — ‘WICB are not able to provide any assurances or guarantees’ and that WICB will communicate their position by end of the day on 17 October.

17 October 2014 - 10 a.m.

Mr Richard Pybus of the WICB sent a mail to the BCCI stating — ‘WICB’s position is that if the players refuse to play then the players must return home and the rest of the ODI and Test tour is called off. This has been discussed with the WICB President and CEO and they are fully aware of developments here.’

17 October - 2 p.m.

Mr Richie Richardson sent a mail to the BCCI stating the following: ‘Despite agreeing to play the 4th ODI in Dharamshala, regrettably, the current West Indies players have decided that they will not participate any further in this tour and wish to return home after this match. In light of this, I suggest that the entire squad travel to Delhi tomorrow and be booked into a hotel there, until international return flights have been booked.

On behalf of the entire squad and WICB, I apologise for the inconvenience caused.’ This makes it clear that all along, the WICB was withdrawing its team if a resolution was not reached in the issue with their players.

[socafighter]

Rock and a hard place for WICB
 By Tony Cozier
Story Created: Oct 18, 2014 at 9:06 PM ECT
Express

THROUGH the clouds of confusion that enveloped the West Indies players’ final decision to abandon their tour of India after the fourth ODI on Friday, a few relevant points are apparent.

First and foremost, as the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB), the leadership of the West Indies Players Association (WIPA) and Dwayne Bravo and his aggrieved team in India carried on their angry, long-range war in cyber space over the signing of a new Memorandum of Understanding/Collective Bargaining Agreement (MoU/CBA), all three clearly failed to appreciate the damaging consequences such a drastic decision was bound to have on them all.

Perhaps they believed that, as in previous similar cases, such as the withdrawal of Packer players from the team in 1978, the standoff at Heathrow Airport prior to the initial 1998-99 tour of South Africa and the strikes before the Sri Lanka and Bangladesh series of 2005 and 2009, that political leaders, or some other third parties, would materialise to soon sort out the issue, with all forgiven and normal service resumed.

This was different. This was the abandonment of a significant tour to the game’s present financial powerhouse; it was part of the International Cricket Council’s Future Tours Programme (FTP).

“Shocked and extremely disappointed”, the Board of Control and Cricket in India (BCCI) set out the effects in unambiguous language.

“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,” it said. “The withdrawal gives little thought to the game, the players and the long standing relations between the BCCI and the WICB.”

A stern headmaster could not have admonished a wayward student more vehemently.

It would “pursue all options available to protect its rights whilst seeking appropriate action from the ICC (International Cricket Council) to sure that its interests and those of the game at large will not suffer any damage due to such acts of indiscretion”.

Predictably, legal action against the WICB is likely, seeking compensation for losses, mainly of television rights and ticket sales. The reported figure is at least US$65 million. Whether to go ahead and claim would be made by its working committee at a meeting on Tuesday in Hyderabad. Such figures would financially cripple the WICB.

There are also suggestions that West Indian players in the lucrative Indian Premier League (IPL), a BCCI offshoot, could be banned for participation for at least a year; given their popularity in India and their value to their franchises, this is less likely.

More ominous is the assertion by BCCI secretary Sanjay Patel that it would be “very difficult to play West Indies in bilateral series in future”.

“They have to demonstrate the willingness that such situations never happen again,” he told the Press Trust of India news agency. “I would say that India’s next tour of West Indies is highly unlikely to go ahead in the current situation.”

With its purchase of broadcast rights, ground perimeter advertising and sponsorship by its big corporations, India in the Caribbean brings more revenue to the WICB than any other tour.

It should not have come to this.

Typically, the WICB, the organisation with overall responsibility for the governance of the game in the region, allowed the gathering storm to develop until it was too late to change its course.

The first involvement of all of its directors was not until after the players’ withdrawal on Friday and then through what the WICB called an “emergency meeting” by teleconference.

This was followed by an announcement that there would be a further “emergency board meeting” on Tuesday in Barbados. It would, it stated, “conduct a thorough assessment of all the ramifications of the premature end to the tour and any action which may be necessary therefrom”.

Already, one director, head of the Jamaican Cricket Association (JCA) Bill Heaven, has reflected widespread public opinion, stating that “all interested parties and concerned parties should come together in a frank, purposeful and meaningful way and we should be able to find a middle-of-the-road position”.

That coming together should have been instigated by the WICB as soon as Dwayne Bravo and his players made known their strong opposition to the new MoU/CBA, signed by WICB president Dave Cameron and the head of the WIPA, Wavell Hinds, on September 18.

Even as Cameron informed the players that the WICB recognised only the WIPA as the players’ bargaining agent, as it always did, he and Hinds should have immediately boarded a plane to India to meet Bravo and his men face to face and talk, in Heaven’s words, “in a frank, purposeful and meaningful way” in an effort to find “a middle-of-the-road position”.

As it was, it took Sanjay Patel, the BCCI secretary, to fly to Kochi to influence the players into not pulling out of the tour even before the first match. As well meant as it was, it was an embarrassing intervention by an Indian official into what was an internal West Indies’ matter.

In the meantime, the e-mails between Bravo and Hinds and, subsequently, Bravo and Cameron became increasingly scathing; egos being what they are, the effect was to push the factions so far apart it became impossible to find “a middle-of-the-road position”.

The WICB revealed on Friday that a “delegation” of its chief executive officer Michael Muirhead, head of its cricket committee Julian Charles and Hinds had been scheduled to arrive in Delhi tomorrow (Monday) to meet with the players “on a number of issues”, among them discussing their concerns over the new MoU/CBA.

That won’t be necessary now. Those West Indians travelling out of India would be heading in the opposite direction. Tuesday’s WICB directors meeting in Barbados is critical.

As much as they are furious over the latest strike action by the players, they need to be guided by practicality rather than emotion.

The fact that the ‘A’ team is continuing with its tour of Sri Lanka is an indication that not every West Indies player is dissatisfied with Hinds’ leadership of the WIPA.

Against both Sri Lanka in 2005 and Bangladesh in 2009, the WICB assembled replacements for those on strike, When they attempted to so the same this time, the BCCI dismissed such an arrangement as unacceptable.

South Africa is next on the West Indies ICC Future Tours list for three Tests, five ODIs and two T20s from December 10 through January 28; the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand immediately follows.

Cricket South Africa would no doubt find a weakened team as unacceptable as the BCCI. The ICC is likely to have the same opinion on the World Cup.

The WICB has placed itself between a rock and a hard place. The question now is how can it wriggle free.

[socafighter]

BCCI’s damages bill to Windies may touch $65m
 
Published: Guardian
Sunday, October 19, 2014

The BCCI is likely to claim damages of at least Rs 400 crore (US$65 million approx) from the WICB for West Indies having pulled out of the tour to India. The BCCI’s working committee will decide whether to go ahead with the claim at a meeting on Tuesday in Hyderabad.

West Indies had agreed to play five ODIs, a Twenty20 and three Tests in India, but pulled out after the fourth ODI, in Dharamsala, due to the players being displeased over a revision to their payment structure. This meant that the BCCI lost out on revenue for 17 match-days. Though Sri Lanka agreed to fill in for West Indies and play five ODIs in India in November, the BCCI will still lose income for 12 match-days for the 2014-15 season. The BCCI is likely to claim those damages from the WICB.

“We have referred the matter to our legal cell and asked them to let us know by 21st about how we can pursue the issue legally,” BCCI secretary Sanjay Patel said, declining to elaborate on the numbers since he said they were still being computed. “They (WICB) entered into a bilateral agreement with us, and they abandoned the tour due to their internal issues, so we will have to seek compensation.

But, depending on the legal advice, the working committee will decide the future course of action.” For the 2013-14 season, revenue for each match-day of India’s home series against West Indies was believed to be approximately Rs 33 crore. BCCI insiders revealed that the 2014-15 season’s estimation was “around the same as last year”. This would mean that the West Indies’ pullout will result in BCCI losing at least Rs 396 crore.

According the agreements signed between Full Members for bilateral series, each board keeps the revenue generated for their home series and incur logistics costs from the time the visiting team arrives in the country till they board a return flight. The BCCI’s revenue is primarily generated through broadcast sponsorship, series-title sponsorship, team-title sponsorship, apparel sponsorship, minor share of advertising from host broadcaster, gate receipts and in-stadia advertising.

Since the broadcast and series-title sponsorships deals are on a per match basis, irrespective of whether it’s a T20, Test or ODI, that income is unlikely to be affected since the five cancelled matches against West Indies (three Tests, an ODI and a Twenty20) will be replaced by five ODIs against Sri Lanka. The apparel sponsorship deal is for a fixed amount, irrespective on the number of matches at home.

However, since the broadcaster’s revenue through advertising is going to be affected with the loss of 12 match-days, including a full Test series, that will have an impact on the BCCI’s coffers as the board gets a minor share of advertising revenue from the host broadcaster. Also, it is likely that Star India, the host broadcaster, may ask for a reduction in broadcast fees which they have been paying to the board. At the moment, Star India pays the BCCI Rs 43.20 crore per match.

The decrease in broadcast revenues will also impact the state associations since the BCCI distributes 70% of it equally amongst the 27 members who participate in the Ranji Trophy. Besides, if any of the five state associations that were allotted one of the cancelled games against West Indies don’t get a game against Sri Lanka, they will also lose out on substantial income. The host associations get to keep income generated through ticket sales and in-stadia advertising. (ESPNcricinfo)

[socafighter]

Walsh: Negotiations, not strikes, the way to solve impasse
 
Published: Guardian
Sunday, October 19, 2014


KINGSTON—Legendary fast bowler Courtney Walsh says he does not support players’ strikes as a first option and would have preferred negotiations to be fully explored first in order to find a solution to the ongoing bitter impasse between West Indies players and their union, WIPA. Walsh, a West Indies selector, was speaking on Thursday before it was announced that the West Indies one-day squad were abandoning their tour of India over their pay and contracts dispute.

“I heard that there may be a strike and that the team may be returning home. I don’t have the facts, but to me that would be another sad day for West Indies cricket,” Walsh said. “I don't think you should have out dirty linen in public. It could have been handled a lot better. If efforts were made first and nothing happened, then you sort of take other measures, but if the first thing you want to do is strike, well, I don't think it's right.”

Upset by the failure to find a resolution to their pay dispute, West Indies one-day squad announced Friday they were quitting the tour with matches still to be played. The threat of strike had been hanging since the opening one-dayer in Kochi when the players had to be convinced by Indian officials to take the field. The players are aggrieved by the new Collective Bargaining Agreement signed between WIPA and the West Indies Cricket Board, which they claim results in a drastic reduction in their earnings. Their pleas to return to the old CBA while a new agreement could be negotiated, went unheeded.

Walsh, who was part of the West Indies team 16 years ago which refused to travel on to South Africa from London in a dispute with the WICB over tour fees, said the regional game was now “past that stage”. “We've all had issues with the board, from Viv Richards, Clive Lloyd and I was part of the team that had to strike – or didn't leave England for various reasons,” Walsh pointed out.

“But we have gone past that stage and you want to give everything a try first. All of us want the players to be happy but there is a right way and a wrong way of going about it.” Walsh, a former West Indies captain, snared 519 wickets from 132 Tests. (CMC)

[socafighter]

Lloyd apologises to Indian people
 
Published: Guardian
Sunday, October 19, 2014

Chairman of West Indies selectors Sir Clive Lloyd has apologised to the people of India for the West Indies team pulling out of their current series against the home team. On Friday, the West Indies team led by Dwayne Bravo played the fourth match of the Micromax limited overs series against India and then promptly announced that they were not going to play the final match of the ODI series, as well as the lone T20 and the three Test matches.

The team decided to pull out of the tour after they were unhappy with their new payment structure signed off by the head of the West Indies Players Association (WIPA), Wavell Hinds. The move has left many in India angry and the former West Indies captain tried to do damage control at a function organised by India Today, that brought together captains of seven World Cup winning teams. Lloyd speaking at the function said, “I want to apologise to the people of India for our team pulling out of the current series. It is unfortunate and in my opinion wrong and I want to unreservedly apologise to India.

“We have enjoyed such great relations in the past and I do hope that this move by some of our cricketers don’t spoil what we have worked hard and long to achieve in the past. The cricketers of India and the West Indies always shared a close relationship, so did the boards and also the fans. I hope that this action by some will not sully that and we can continue being the close friends we have been ever since.”

A visibly emotional Lloyd told the T&T Guardian after the function that he really hoped that some damage control can take place at this point in time because relations between the two boards are so important. “Only if you know of the close ties between the two nations, then and only then you would realise the potential damage this can cause.”

T&T Guardian understands that Lloyd met with the West Indies players the night before they decided to call off the tour and gave them his perspective about the long standing relationship between the West Indies and India. Without getting into the battle between the players and the board, the man who changed the face of West Indies cricket decades ago said he was interested with keeping the good relations for the betterment of all concerned, including the players who play in the Indian Premier League (IPL).

[socafighter]

India 2016 tour of Caribbean under threat
 
Published:Guardian
Sunday, October 19, 2014


The Dalai Lama receives an autographed West Indies shirt from West indies ODI captain Dwayne Bravo, right, ahead of the fourth ODI in Dharamsala, India, on Friday. Photo: ESPNcricinfo


MUMBAI—The West Indies Cricket Board’s finances could take another huge hit with the Indian Cricket Board (BCCI) saying yesterday it was now reviewing its 2016 tour of the Caribbean.
 Indian officials are fuming after West Indies players abandoned the one-day tour of India on Friday, following the fourth One-Day International in Dharamsala, over a pay dispute with their union, the West Indies Players Association.

The players’ move scuppered Monday’s final ODI carded for Kolkata, the lone Twenty20 International in Cuttack on Wednesday, and the three-Test series that was expected to bowl off October 30. “It will be very difficult to play West Indies in bilateral series in future. They have to demonstrate the willingness that such situations never happen again,” international media quoted BCCI secretary Sanjay Patel as saying. “I would say that India’s next tour of West Indies is highly unlikely to go ahead in the current situation.”

The series started under a cloud of uncertainty with West Indies players threatening to withdraw their services ahead of the first ODI in Kochi, over their contractual grouse with WIPA. They argued the new terms of the Collective Bargaining Agreement, which WIPA signed recently with the West Indies Cricket Board, would result in a drastic reduction in their earnings. A flurry of ill-tempered emails between the players and WIPA led to an escalation of tensions and when a last-ditch appeal to the WICB by the players failed, the squad informed team management they would no longer continue the tour.

Patel said regardless of the off-field issues, West Indies had an obligation to complete the tour. “Whatever the dispute, they should have honoured the bilateral agreement,” Patel said. “We thank our friends Sri Lanka who agreed to the tour on a short notice but unfortunately we couldn’t fit in the tests as there was not enough time.” West Indies are expected to host India in three Tests, five ODIs and a T20 early in 2016, a tour that was expected to be a financial windfall for the WICB. The BCCI is the world’s richest cricket board, with series involving India often attracting high global viewership. Millionaire businessman N Srinivasan, a former BCCI president, is now chairman of the International Cricket Council.

Patel said the BCCI intended to take steps to ensure it did not find itself in a similar situation again, with a team walking out on a bilateral series. “We have suffered huge losses and the ICC is our parent body and we are going to ask them to ensure that this never happens in the future,” Patel said. The WICB are also expected to face legal action from the BCCI as fall-out for the one-day squad failing to complete the series. (CMC)

[Sando prince]

I will be a little more understanding if the players were having problems with the West Indian cricket board but their gripe is with WIPA, their own players association. smh

[Quags]

Would agree sando prince if the Wibc was not involved at all ,but the board lay in bed with the union,and now acting innocent .

[vb]

http://www.trinidadexpress.com/sports/WICB-batting-on-ticky-wicket-280144862.html

AS the directors of West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) met in an emergency session in Barbados on Tuesday “to conduct a thorough assessment of all the ramifications” of Friday’s unprecedented abandonment of the Indian tour, they faced the prospect that the organisation could go out of business should the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) press a claim for damages along with its suspension of future bilateral tours.

The directors entered their meeting on Tuesday hours after the BCCI confirmed its intention to defer future bilateral tours; the International Cricket Council (ICC) Future Tours Programme (FTP) lists India for five series against the West Indies in the next eight years, including four visits to the Caribbean.
Although it did not specifically mention earlier speculation that it would seek compensation from the WICB for financial losses, it stated that it would start legal proceedings.
It is estimated that the revenue shortfall from 17 blank playing days on the cancelled tour, mainly through television rights and ticket sales, is over US$60 million.

Doubts over the WICB’s survival had already been raised before the present crisis by the chartered accountants, KPMG, in the last financial statement for the year ending September 30, 2013.
KPMG warned that the net loss for the preceding year of US$5,821,413, along with shareholders’ deficiencies of US$5,693,323, “raise substantial doubt that the company will be able to continue as a going concern”.

It pointed out that the WICB’s revenue is “cyclical in nature”, depending on the popularity of the various tours undertaken by the West Indies team.
“During less popular tours, the company is significantly dependent on financing from an overdraft facility,” it added.

Only tours to the Caribbean by India and England are profitable, mainly through television rights and ground perimeter advertising and, in England’s case, thousands of tourists who follow their team.
England are carded by the International Cricket Council (ICC) Future Tours Programme (FTP) for three Tests next April and May.

Last year, two Tests each against Sri Lanka and Pakistan under the ICC’s FTP were scrapped to accommodate a triangular ODI tournament between West Indies, Sri Lanka and India and five ODIs and two T20s against Pakistan.

Revenue from these were diminished by an earlier series of two Tests, three ODIs and two T20s against Zimbabwe, the bottom-placed team in the ICC rankings.

New Zealand and Bangladesh, both alongside the West Indies at the bottom end of the rankings, were the visitors this year; daily attendance at their matches was rarely over 1,000.
KCMG’s 2013 statement reported that the WICB had projected “positive cash flows over the next two years”. It based its optimism on revenue from its share of the 2014 ICC World T20, the 2015 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand and the signing on of a “major sponsor” for the Super50 tournament.
The Super50 was staged exclusively in Trinidad and Tobago. Its sponsor was Nagico Insurance with financial backing from the Trinidad and Tobago government which is reportedly still to pay the WICB its share in full.

Ironically, the present impasse comes nine months after Australia, England and India took over as leaders of the ICC, with the support of the WICB and all but one of its other full members.
At the time, president Dave Cameron said that the new arrangement “would allow the WICB to increase the number of profitable tours it hosts while reducing the number of unprofitable tours it is obliged to host under the FTP”.
Circumstances have been dramatically changed by the upheavals in India

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http://www.espncricinfo.com/westindies/content/story/793499.html


West Indies batsman Marlon Samuels has strongly disagreed with the statement from West Indies ODI captain Dwayne Bravo, who said that the Jamaican had given consent to standing by "any decision taken by the team" including abandoning the tour of India. In an interview with ESPNcricinfo, Samuels pointed out that all three parties - players, WICB and West Indies Players Association - had handled the situation inappropriately but directed scathing criticism at Wavell Hinds, saying that the WIPA president and CEO was the "real reason" the situation became "messed up".

"No, I did not say that I am going to stand by any decision," Samuels said in a telephone interview on Monday from Jamaica. "Because nobody asked me questions like that. It is up to the individual to say okay I am with you. You had people in the room that didn't even open their mouth or say anything. At the end of the day, I went there and asked my questions and I wasn't satisfied [by the response]. If I was satisfied then I will be the first person to come out because I am an outspoken person. Then I will be the first person to come out and defend everything with [Bravo]."

This is the second time in less than a week Samuels has expressed a difference of opinion in the public domain against Bravo. In an interview with a radio station last week, Samuels said he spent time "ordering room service" while the rest of the players were attending meetings as he wanted "to finish the tour." Bravo said he was "shocked" at Samuels considering he had participated in the meeting "vigorously" asking questions.

However, Samuels clarified that he had asked certain questions of Bravo in the two team meetings he had attended in India and having failed to get a convincing response, he decided to stay away. According to Samuels, he had asked Bravo to come out and explain to the Caribbean public the exact situation because failing to be transparent with them was not right.

"One of the questions I asked was the public don't really know what is happening," Samuels said. "The public are being misled. They need to know the truth behind this [pullout]. They need to go out there and explain what is really happening. He wasn't willing to go and do that. That is why I say that if you are not up to doing what I want to go there and do, which is the right thing, then you are not going to get my full support. You cannot expect [me] to go and fight a war if you are not willing to go out and speak."

Samuels' reactions are a setback for Bravo who had said in a media statement released last Friday that the decision to leave India after the fourth ODI in Dharamsala was taken with the "full concert" of all the players. Samuels said that he was not surprised at all by Bravo releasing a statement but he agreed, and suggested, that calling him directly to sort things out would have been the best step.

"What he should have done, if you are a true leader, is to go out and call the player and ask him did you say things like this," Samuels said. He also stressed he was not siding with either WICB or WIPA in the current situation but criticized administrators for failing to be proactive to come up with a solution. "I am not basically swinging with nobody in this matter. If you cannot go out and talk it as it is then I am not up to it."

"All situation is handled badly. Wavell is wrong. The [WICB] president [Dave Cameron] should have taken a flight down to India and come and have a talk. To sit in the Caribbean and not come and speak to the players cannot be the right way to deal with things. So right across the board it is wrong."

Incidentally representatives of all three warring factions met in Jamaica on Monday for "cordial and fruitful" discussions as described in a joint statement issued at the conclusion of the meeting. Cameron and Hinds were present at the meeting which also was attended by players representatives Andre Russell and Jason Holder, along with legal counsel. Though Samuels said the blame for the tour abandonment should be spread among all the parties involved, he feels Hinds is most at fault.

"If you look at the situation, the real, real person here to be blamed is WIPA. Wavell Hinds, the president, that basically messed up everything. If you look at the situation you can't really blame [the WICB] for accepting what Wavell has done. Wavell is the main problem here. The players are upset with what Wavell has done. But remember I am not part of WIPA."

Asked why he was not accredited to the players' body, Samuels revealed the only reason was the way WIPA left him out "in the cold" when he was serving at two-year ban for having links with an Indian bookmaker. "Since I got the two-year ban I was left in the cold, on my own. I have to get my own lawyer. I have to do everything on my own. WIPA wasn't there for me. So I come back into cricket and choose not to be a part of WIPA because WIPA did not help me. So I do not feel like I should do anything for WIPA."
 

Nagraj Gollapudi is an assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo
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