West Indies in for Mo' Money

WEST INDIES players will get an additional sum of at least US$125 000 from from next month's International Cricket Council (ICC) Champions' Trophy in Sri Lanka.

The windfall represents 25 per cent of the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) dividends of just over US$600 000, along with prize money.

The deal was agreed after several days of what were reportedly tough negotiations between the West Indies Players' Association (WIPA), led by recently-elected president Dinanath Ramnarine, and the WICB over a contentious ICC contract on sponsorship for all ICC events until 2007, including the Champions Trophy and next year's World Cup in South Africa.

The WICB announced in a media statement yesterday that the 14 players had signed their contracts "subject to the ICC formally agreeing to consult with players before concluding commercial agreements for ICC events other than those that have already been sold".

On the decision to apportion a quarter of its Champions Trophy cut to the players, the WICB noted: "Appreciative of the heavy commercial restrictions placed on the players, president Reverend Wes Hall succesfully sought the approval of the WICB to offer the players 25 per cent of the dividends that will be obtanied by the WICB in respect to the 2002 Champions Trophy only."

It is understood that the WIPA's claims for as much as US$2 million of the WICB's guarantee of US$6.5 million from next year's World Cup along with substantial and immediate increases in fees were rejected.

WICB chief executive Gregory Shillingford said ICC chief executive Malcolm Speed indicated the ICC was expected to ratify the agreement "on the consultative process with the players" at a meeting today in Dubai.

It meant the originally chosen 14 for the September 12-30 tournmament would go to Sri Lanka, subject to injuries.

"Over the past few days, the WICB and WIPA have been in wide-ranging discussions over issues concerning the players, rights over use of their images and how this could be balanced against the interest of the ICC's commercial partners who sponsor these world events," Shillingford added in the WICB statement.

"The WIPA and the players were determined that players' rights should not be sold by the ICC without consultation and financial benefit to the players and that his association will continue to address this issue at all levels of world cricket," the WICB release quoted Ramnarine as saying.

Hall noted that the WICB agreed there must be a consultative process between the ICC and the players.