Players call for WICB to intervene, WIPA board to resign

Dwayne Bravo has written to WICB president Dave Cameron, "on behalf of the West Indies team", seeking the president's "urgent intervention" over the payments issue that has erupted between the players, the board and West Indies Players' Association. In the letter, Bravo said WIPA no longer represented the players and its board should resign, and that the players will explore other avenues to resolve the issue should the board not step in and work it out.

"We write to you to make a conscience appeal to fair play and justice and to seek your urgent intervention in helping to remedy the emerging impasse between ourselves and the West Indies Cricket Board," Bravo wrote.

"It is our view, given the circumstances of the formulation and finalising of this agreement, the WIPA Board needs to do the right thing and resign. We wish to formerly advise you that WIPA has no authority to speak on our behalf … We will advise you of the person or persons entrusted with the responsibility to act on our behalf shortly.

"As you may be aware, we have demonstrated much restraint in this matter in trying to get our former representatives [WIPA] to fix this travesty but unfortunately this has not occurred. We are hopeful that, with your intervention, the matter can be resolved without public or other recourse. In the meantime we will continue to seek advice."

In a letter Bravo wrote before West Indies first ODI against India, the players had come out strongly against WIPA president and chief executive Wavell Hinds, who they claimed "hoodwinked" them and did not take their inputs while signing a new Memorandum of Understanding with the WICB last month, under which they perceived they would suffer a significant cut in their payment. The players had not ruled out going on strike, but then went ahead and decided to play the Kochi ODI against India only on the morning of the game. That, Bravo said, was "an act of good faith".

"As an act of good faith and in the spirit of camaraderie that epitomises regional cricket, we conceded to go forward with the first one-day match in India with the expectation that we would resolve the critical matter of all our contractual terms. Our decision to play in India was in no way intended to convey an acceptance by the players of the unreasonable terms and conditions put forward to us by WICB nor was it intended as an expression of our acceptance of the purported new Memorandum of Understanding."

Bravo reiterated the players want to "continue under the old structure until a new agreement is reached between the players and the WICB". "We believe this to be a sensible and reasonable option in the interim, while we negotiate new terms and conditions that have been properly ventilated," he wrote.

The players had received communication from WIPA "finally", Bravo said, but that had only led to "more questions". "We also note that we finally got a response yesterday from Mr Hinds. However, his response leads us to pose more questions than the "answers" provided. There were many inaccuracies in Mr Hinds' letter to which we will provide a detailed response in due course."

Hinds reportedly said he will not resign, saying that he and the other executive members will quit only if the "majority of WIPA's membership" wills it, as per the association's rules. He reportedly said: "I must take this opportunity to remind you that there is a process embedded in WIPA's memorandum and articles of association regarding the election and removal of officers, and that your [the players'] call for some members of the current executive and board to resign is not supported by that process.

"We were placed here by the rules of our association, and will leave only according to the will of the majority of our membership as provided in those rules. There will be no resignation by any member of the current executive."