West Indies players, board seal deal

[Karl]

published: Wednesday | August 9, 2006


West Indies captain Brian Lara ... called for quick resolution to crisis. - Reuters

THE WEST Indies players have received the green light from their union, the West Indies Players' Association (WIPA), to tour Singapore and Malaysia for the upcoming tri-series involving India and Australia.

Late last week, the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) said after talks had broken down with WIPA, that it had sent invitations to 14 players to make themselves available for the tri-nations series.

However, in a release yesterday signed by both parties, they have reached an agreement "in the interest of Caribbean cricket".

"Both parties recognise the goodwill which has made this agreement possible and restate their desire to improve the earnings of the board and the players whenever practicable," stated the release, signed by WIPA president Dinanath Ramnarine and WICB president Ken Gordon.

"For its part, the WICB will pay an additional premium to the players for the forthcoming series of US$100,000 for four games and US$50,000 if the team qualifies for the final. The full payment will therefore amount to US$600,000 for the four games and US$300,000 for the final. This figure represents 30 per cent of the revenue earned from the series," the release said.

The agreement came on the heels of captain Brian Lara's call for a quick solution to the problem.

Settle differences

Lara urged both parties to settle their differences, stating that he was looking forward to leading a full strength squad for the tri-series.

This latest offer will be added to last week's figures of US$25,000-plus for players at the lower end of the scale to US$59,000-plus at the higher end of the scale, net of expenses for four one-day matches with the prospect of each player earning an additional 50 per cent on those fees if the West Indies qualified for the final.

Though this, according to the WICB, represented an unprecedented 488 per cent on normal match tour fees and 25 per cent of the net revenue to be paid to the WICB for the series, WIPA wanted US$40,000 at the lower end of the player scale and US$95,000 at the higher end, representing 40 per cent of the net revenue to be paid to the board and a premium of 847 per cent on normal match tour fees. In its statement, also last week, WIPA accused the WICB of "not wanting" to reach a solution.

"During the course of the negotiations WIPA reduced its initial proposal on two occasions to the WICB as part of a compromise. On the other hand, the WICB has not done the same regarding its first proposal which remained its final proposal," WIPA said in its statement.

Squad: Brian Lara (captain), Ramnaresh Sarwan, Chris Gayle, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Runako Morton, Dwayne Bravo, Dwayne Smith, Carlton Baugh, Corey Collymore, Fidel Edwards, Ian Bradshaw, Jerome Taylor, Marlon Samuels and Wavell Hinds.

[Karl]

RE: West Indies players, board seal deal

<DIV id=printReady>

ON THE BOUNDARY - WIPA and West Indies cricket
published: Friday | August 11, 2006


Tony Becca

WEST INDIES cricket continues to baffle me. Each time it looks like it is turning the corner, it runs off the road. Against India, for example, the West Indies won the one-day series 4-1 and fought like tigers in the Test series before coming to Sabina Park where, after being routed for 103 in their first innings in less than three hours and in 33.3 overs, they dived to defeat by 49 runs in less than three days.

The question is, what is wrong with West Indies cricket? As many have said, it just cannot be the lack of talent.

What many have not been prepared to say, however, is the truth - that part of the problem, if not the real problem with West Indies cricket is the attitude of the players - many of whom, lacking in pride, think less about performance, their own and the team's, than they do about other things of this world such the nice cars,gold chainsand gold bangles.

While it may be true, as some say, that they do care about performance, the fact of the matter is that most of them, and definitely so many of the Jamaicans, do not do the things that are necessary to perform. They do not, for example, train as much as they should, they do not practice as much and as diligently as they should and their batsmen certainly do not cherish, do not value their wickets as much as they should.

No game, no bling

And while nothing is wrong with nice cars, etc., the players need to understand, or be made to understand that without performance there will be no nice cars, etc. They must realise, or be made to realise, that as players, they, like the board members, are only a part of West Indies cricket and the sooner they realise and understand that, the better it will be for West Indies cricket.

The question, however, is this: who is going to make them understand and accept that?

Although it should be the board, based on what is happening in West Indies cricket these days, based on the fact that the Players Association seems to be calling the shots, it seems that it must be the Players Association.

In order to do so, however, the Players Association will have to first look at itself, see who it represents, who it is and has been fighting for and make a change.

Instead of representing all cricketers in the West Indies and working for their development, the Players Association, so it appears, represents only the West Indies players, it works only for the West Indies players and, in working for the West Indies players, it appears that it only does so as far as money - their fees and contracts - are concerned.

West Indies cricket, however, needs a Players Association that represents all the cricketers and one that works for all the cricketers. It does not need one that only attempts to get every cent it can from the board - and not for the first-class cricketers in the region - the non-Test players that is, not for better Under-19 and Under-15 tournaments, not for better programmes that will assist in the deve-lopment of all the cricketers, young and old, in the region, but for the few Test players.

Deplorable conditions

According to reports, the conditions, including the eating conditions, during the Under-15 tournament in Antigua, the seat of the headquarters of the board, were deplorable and an embarrassment to West Indies cricket and that cannot be good for West Indies cricket.

Things like that will stifle the growth of West Indies cricket, things like that cannot motivate young players to play the game and to represent the West Indies. Things like that will ensure that the glory days will never come back and if the Players Associati

[Karl]

RE: West Indies players, board seal deal

The players and the players association will keep us firmly rooted at the bottom of the rankings. They expect to take and give nothing in return.

Dem tink dis foolishness will be tolerated forever? :angry: