Ambrose questions players over pay rise

Curtly Ambrose: ''Why are you looking for a pay rise when you are not producing any results?' © Getty Images Enlarge

Curtly Ambrose, the former West Indies fast bowler, has lashed out at West Indian players for demanding higher pay at a time when the team's performance has been poor. The West Indies Cricket Board and the Players Association have been at loggerheads over sponsorship and endorsement rights, which has led to the selectors picking a second-string squad for the upcoming Sri Lankan tour.

"If it is [not] all about money [so why are] you looking for a pay rise when you and not producing any results," Ambrose said on Observer Radio's Voice of the People programme on Wednesday. "If I employ you to do a job, and you are forever coming up short, you can't come to me with any argument that you want a pay rise. I mean, for what? On what grounds really?"

WIPA has been demanding an appearance fee of US$150,000 for the Sri Lanka tour, but the WICB said it could only offer US$50,000. Both parties have failed to resolve the dispute which has been going on for the past nine months and it has resulted in the exclusion of top players like Brian Lara, Ramnaresh Sarwan and Chris Gayle.

Ambrose, who was part of the last great West Indies sides, added: "We are getting licks for many years. We are last in the world ratings [among the top teams] because you can't count Bangladesh. We can't win a series. We can't even draw a game."