Hard Line – A line should be drawn in the sand

First Vice President of the St. Vincent and the Grenadines Cricket Association (SVGCA) Elson Crick wants the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) to take a hard line approach towards the players who continue to hold the Board and the region to ransom.{{more}}

Crick’s comments came last Wednesday after the original team selected by regional selectors, Clyde Butts, Raphick Jumadeen and Robert Haynes and under Chris Gayle’s captaincy, made themselves unavailable in protest over outstanding payments and the absence of playing contracts, throwing doubts as to the staging of the test match here against Bangladesh.

A hastily arranged new look team assembled here last Wednesday in time for the First Digicel Test, which was scheduled to begin yesterday, Thursday, at the Arnos Vale Playing Field.

“It really draws a line in the sand as it is saying to WIPA, (the West Indies Players Association) no more of your nonsense”, Crick told SEARCHLIGHT.

“Here are some players who put their hands up and said that they want to play for the West Indies,” Crick said.

Crick, who is also one of the Windward Islands Cricket Board of Control delegates on the WICB, added: “I will be pushing for the Board to put something in place in the future to award these players who are loyal to the fans and not the money”.

“We cannot continue to spend a lot of money on players who are not performing,” Crick advanced.

The SVGCA second man was hopeful that Vincentians, too, will answer the call and give support to the team by attending the match, as it could work in this country’s favour as South Africa is set to tour the region in 2010.

Among those who accepted the Board’s invitation at short notice were five players with test experience in Darren Sammy, Tino Best, Floyd Reifer and Dave Bernard Jr.

Others included are Travis Dowlin, Kemar Roach, Nellon Pascal, Ryan Austin, Kevin Mc Lean, Nikita Miller, Chadwick Walton, Omar Phillips, Kraigg Braithwaite, Andre Creary and Dale Richards.

At the core of the row is what WIPA’s President Dinanath Ramnarine said was “a long-running contractual dispute with the Board”.

In a release by the WICB last Tuesday, it said, “The WICB proposed that the players would receive a total amount of US$1.48 million out of the US$2 million received for the England 2009 Tour, which would be first used to “compensate” the IPL players for their early departure from that tournament and the balance of the money being distributed among the other players”.

The release further stated: “In April 2009, the WICB sent a formal payment proposal to WIPA regarding the tour of the WI team to England. Although WICB and WIPA discussed the matter, the first written response from WIPA was in June of this year, accepting the proposed US$1.48 million but demanding sponsorship fees in addition at the rate of US$35,000 per day, i.e. an additional amount of US$455,000. WICB indicated that was unacceptable as it would amount to the players receiving a total of US$1, 935,000 out of the US$2 million received for the Tour”.

The WICB release concluded that its negotiating team was prepared to meet with WIPA in Trinidad and Tobago yesterday, Thursday, July 9, to once again attempt to resolve the outstanding issues.

The Second and final test is set for the Grenada National Stadium from July 17 to 21.