One last chance ...as WICB hosts conference on India issues

One last chance

...as WICB hosts conference on India issues
Published: Guardian
Wednesday, August 5, 2015


Directors of the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB0, headed by president Dave Cameron, will host a teleconference today to discuss several issues relative to the governing body for the sport in India (BCCI).

Among the discussions will be the possibility of an ODI series in the sub continent in September that essentially seeks to give the West Indies a chance to qualify for the Champions Trophy in England in 2017.

The West Indies are currently out of the tournament which will see the top eight ranked ICC teams qualifying for the prestigious event.

The West Indies are currently ninth in the standings, and in danger of missing a tournament which they won in 2004. They will stay in that position unless they can take part in a series of matches and earn points to leapfrog current eighth place Pakistan.

If the West Indies can play India and win the series 2-1, they will take eighth spot and qualify. They have until September 30, 2015.

A planned tri-series with Pakistan and Bangladesh was called off.

Also up for discussion is the contentious aborted tour ten months ago when members of West Indies, led by Dwayne Bravo, aborted a limited overs tour of India after a payment structure dispute between themselves and the WICB.

When the players decided to come home, four of the five matches scheduled in the series were played. The Indians were leading the series 2-1, with one match called off due to  cyclone Hudhud. The players had threatened to come home after three matches but was convinced to play the fourth match at Dharamshala in the Northern Mountains by now general secretary of the BCCI, Anurag Thakur Singh.

The West Indies team could not field a strong Test team to send for the Test series that  followed and this further angered the Indians, as they sent a bill to the WICB calling losses in the range of US$41.97 million. They also decided to cut all bi-lateral relations between the two countries.

A WICB director told T&T Guardian yesterday that the hierarchy of the board  decided to call a teleconference to inform and get the opinion of all the directors on the way forward. “Some progress has been made between the two boards and all will be aware of what has been achieved and how best to move forward.”

India is due to tour the West Indies next year and if the ban continues, the WICB will lose tremendous revenue.