WIPA puts board under scrutiny, calls for inquiry

The West Indies Players' Association (WIPA) has demanded an open inquiry in to the working of West Indies cricket board by the heads of the Caribbean Community(CARICOM) in the light of the sponsorship dispute that has brought West Indian cricket to the verge of collapse.

In a statement published on Caribbeancricket.com, WIPA made their displeasure known, saying, "It is clear to WIPA that the ongoing behaviour of the [WICB] during this entire exercise [the sponsorship dilemma] raises serious questions regarding the important issue of cricket administration in the Caribbean which, in WIPA's opinion, is best addressed by an open inquiry commissioned by heads of CARICOM governments."

The WIPA said that it had made numerous concessions to the board to resolve the issue quickly. The concessions included disclosing the players' individual contracts to the board for legal scrutiny as well as convincing players to waive confidentiality clauses. Besides this, the WIPA said that it had urged 22 players to make themselves available for selection in an act of good faith following the dropping of the seven players contracted by Cable and Wireless.

The WIPA also pointed out that the board had unilaterally set its own timeline for naming the squad, which put the 29 players (including the seven dropped players) under high levels of stress and hampered the team's preparation. It was hopeful that the best team would be selected on merit and cricketing ability, and that the captain and vice-captain would be selected in a transparent manner.