CARICOM intervenes to save regional cricket

CARICOM intervened Friday to try to end the contract dispute between the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) and the West Indies Players Association (WIPA) that has caused a long-running feud that has crippled regional cricket.

The six-point plan comes in the aftermath of the breakdown of mediation talks headed by Sir Shridath Ramphal.

In a statement Friday CARICOM’s Prime Ministerial Sub-Committee on cricket (PMSC) said its move is aimed at saving West Indies cricket from total ruin.

"The current situation, if not resolved immediately, will no doubt destroy the fabric on which to base any hope of reviving the region’s standing in international cricket, or building a solid future for West Indies cricket," CARICOM said.

"The main concern of the Heads of Government is restoring the image and status of West Indies cricket regionally and internationally," the statement added.

The CARICOM proposal:

• Players will make themselves available for selection in accordance with normal WICB requirements, in particular, participation in the regional tournaments
• The WICB will agree to the television/image rights fees (sponsor’s fees) traditionally paid to players pending the special arbitration on this issue to facilitate the signing of retainer contracts by 1 October 2009
• The WICB and WIPA are to agree on the implementation of the special arbitration process provided for in the mediator’s draft agreement, i.e. on team rights and the India tour. In addition the two bodies are to agree to the best efforts by the CARICOM Secretariat in the first instance to facilitate the resolution of the other outstanding issues proposed by WICB and WIPA, or the pursuit of arbitration if necessary, such arbitration not to delay the return of West Indies cricket to normalcy.
• CARICOM will convene a Stakeholders meeting at the earliest practicable date to discuss the future of West Indies cricket, taking account of the WICB’s Development Plan, as well as the Report of the Patterson Committee established by WICB
• CARICOM expects that WICB would inform cricket’s world governing body, the International Cricket Council (ICC) of the action taken by Caribbean Governments with the object of returning West Indies cricket to its accustomed place in world cricket
• The Prime Ministerial Sub-Committee on Cricket would monitor compliance with the measures based on periodic reports from the CARICOM Secretariat

The dispute has caused great damage to the regional team, leading to a makeshift squads being selected for the recent Bangladesh series and the ICC Champions Trophy in South Africa because leading players refused to play because of contract issues.