West Indies CEO aims to move forward in dispute

Ernest Hilaire, the West Indies board's new chief executive, has stressed on the importance of moving forward in the contracts dispute with the West Indies Players Association (WIPA) and said the two bodies must accept the arbitrator's decision as final.

"Let the arbitrator or arbitrators decide once and for all what the positions are and each party agrees to abide by that and let's move forward," Hilaire, who takes office in October, said this week in an interview on HTS Television, a St Lucia-based channel. "You cannot move forward if you don't speak to your partners involved and I think we have to find a way to do so."

Hilaire takes over during a crisis period in West Indies cricket, which has been rocked by the contracts issue. The withdrawal of several senior players has already crippled the national team, which recently lost to Bangladesh at home, and the matter is now being mediated by the CARICOM, the region's political leadership. The WICB vice-president Dave Cameron has already hinted that the CARICOM's recommendations, which include senior players making themselves available for selection for regional tournaments, are just recommendations and the board has the final say.

However Hilaire said he looked forward to the challenge and would try to ensure that West Indies cricket's state of affairs improved dramatically. "It is an ideal opportunity to go in there and to assist in the re-organisation and the development of West Indies cricket and it is something which I actually look forward to."

Jamaica Cricket Association president Paul Campbell also said the board should look to engage with the WIPA instead of fighting with it.