WIPA to meet with players in Trinidad

The West Indies Players' Association will be meeting a few of the members of the national side at Trinidad to discuss the ongoing battle regarding Match/Tour contracts. The stand-off between the board and the players has shown no signs of ending, and 16 senior players - including Brian Lara, Ramnaresh Sarwan and Chris Gayle - were dropped from the side after failing to resolve the issue.

The Daily Nation reported that several players, including a few senior members of the squad, were scheduled to meet Dinanath Ramnarine, the president of the Players' Association. The main points of debate have been the tour contracts for players as well as the salary payments due for recently completed tours. The dispute threatened the board's three-week camp in Barbados, due to begin on November 29, and the meeting will strive to arrive at a solution.

The players' association had challenged the terms and conditions of the contract, specifically the clause which dealt with player endorsements and board responsibilities. Yesterday, they also claimed that territorial boards were putting pressure on the players to agree to the present terms of the contract. Adding a further twist, the board had rejected WIPA's offer for a follow-up meeting after the two parties had been involved in a 14-hour marathon session last week.

However, the board justified its decision and said that it will not act "unless the West Indies Players' Association indicates it is willing to review its position on clause five (5) of the contract". Ramnarine, though, maintained that his association were still willing to compromise and said, "Everything is negotiable".