WEST INDIES CRICKETERS LED BY DWAYNE BRAVO STAND UP FOR THEIR RIGHTS! By STEPHON NICHOLAS NEWSDAY Saturday, October 18 2014 ON A DAY when Trinidadian Dwayne Bravo was accused of threatening injury to West Indies cricket, the regional game was plunged into chaos and crisis with the players Bravo leads abandoning their tour of India. The action, while not exactly unexpected, shocked the Board for the Control of Cricket in India (BCCI) which had to make speedy arrangements for a replacement team to continue the matches and is exploring its options, including legal remedy, since the body’s losses could amount to as much as 6.3 million Euros per match. The West Indians took to the field reluctantly yesterday to play their third one day international against India with Bravo indicating it was, “time to make a decision.” As he accompanied the Indian captain on the field to take the toss, Bravo had the unusual setting of the entire West Indies team around him, in a show of solidarity in their ongoing pay dispute with the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) and dissatisfaction with their representative body, the West Indies Players Association (WIPA). They had almost abandoned the first match in the series, threatening not to play, but were persuaded by the BCCI to take the field. Bravo said before the start of yesterday’s match, played only on the urging of the BCCI, the situation was “tough”, even then hinting at the withdrawal. “As you can see, my team is standing behind me,” Bravo said at the toss. “It’s been a tough tour for us. We don’t want cricket to suffer. We enjoy our fans in India and our fans back home.” He added, “That’s the reason we represent the West Indies team, but there comes a time when we have to make a decision as a team, things are not going our way. We try our best, we do everything in our power and yet to come to an agreement we need to have a contract, or something might happen.” Threats of a players’ strike surfaced prior to the commencement of the ODI series with Bravo calling for the immediate resignation of WIPA president and former Windies player Wavell Hinds, who Bravo accused of signing a new Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB), without players’ approval. Under the new MOU, players have seen their earning slashed by close to 60 percent to help fund restructuring of regional cricket and the formation of the Professional Cricket League by the WICB. Following an emergency meeting by the Board of Directors of the WICB yesterday, the regional governing body apologised profusely to West Indies fans, the BCCI, sponsors, broadcasters and stakeholders for the debacle. The board revealed they offered to send a second string Windies team to India as a replacement but the BCCI considered that unacceptable. In a new twist, the WICB directors also alleged Bravo used inflammatory language and issued, “a clear threat to cause injury to West Indies cricket”, in his initial communication with the WIPA President. In yesterday’s media release, the WICB stated that Bravo wrote: “Please note that we are giving you the opportunity to right the wrong before things deteriorate to such an extent that West Indies cricket to the wider cricket world looks to fall to its knees again.” The board of directors is set to host another emergency meeting next Tuesday in Barbados “to conduct a thorough assessment of all the ramifications of the premature end to the tour and any action which may be necessary therefrom.” According to a source, Bravo’s captaincy is one of the issues to be discussed. The 31-year-old Bravo has been spearheading the fight with WIPA and also wrote to the WICB indicating WIPA no longer represented the players. The charismatic all-rounder also requested that the previous MOU be reinstated in the interim until a new agreement is reached between players and the WICB. In response to that statement, WICB president Dave Cameron snubbed Bravo’s proposal, stating WIPA remains “the sole and exclusive collective bargaining representative recognised by the WICB.” The WICB’s refusal to negotiate with the players was not well received by the regional cricketers, with Bravo writing a strongly worded letter to Cameron on the eve of yesterday’s match which the Windies lost by 59 runs. (See Page 11A) He criticised Cameron’s offer to act as a mediator between WIPA and the players as the WICB is the direct beneficiary of the “unreasonable terms and conditions” of the new MOU. “Mr President, what would the WICB say after reviewing the document and the facts surrounding the signing of the document?” Bravo asked. “Would the WICB say the document is favourable to the WICB and that WIPA should not have signed without a resolution by its members, without consulting with its members and board among all the other things that is reasonably required? We think not!” The Windies captain wondered whether players were the only ones asked to make a financial sacrifice for the restructuring of regional cricket and whether WICB CEO Michael Murihead, other administrative staff and coaches, were also asked to take a two-thirds pay cut. “The players regretfully wish to advise that they can no longer accept this situation which has affected each and every player in a very negative way,” Bravo wrote. “The players are under tremendous stress and undue pressure. We have informed the Manager and Coach of our decision to return home with the hope that these issues will be addressed to the satisfaction of all.” At a February 1, WIPA Annual General Meeting, Michael Hall, former WIPA CEO, had called on the Windies players to be “an agent of change” to assist in the formation of the Professional Cricket league) and asked players to take a pay cut in the interest of the other regional players. Bravo, at that meeting, expressed support for the restructuring of regional cricket but intimated that certain conditions must be met including no pay cut for the senior team and salaries raised for the loss of sponsorship fee. Hinds was expected to get back to senior players to discuss the matter further but Bravo contends he (Hinds) did not do so and went ahead and signed the MOU. Yesterday, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) wasted no time in making arrangements to fill the gap made by the West Indies and has agreed to play a five-match ODI series with Sri Lanka starting November 1. The BCCI has also indicated that they are exploring their legal options with the WICB unable to fulfil its contractual agreement with one ODI, a Twenty20 International and three Test matches still remaining. Apart from questions by the BCCI, the WICB will have questions to answer from their sponsor Digicel who in 2013 renewed their sponsorship of the regional team until 2016. Antonia Graham, Lead of Group Public Relations, Digicel, yesterday expressed disappointment with what transpired in India and indicated that her company is set to have discussions with the WICB. “We are contracted with the WICB but like any fan we are disappointed when players don’t take the field. We need to speak to the WICB at an appropriate time,” she said yesterday. Colin Borde, former West Indies ‘A’ manager, does not believe the issue will be resolved easily and questioned whether Caricom will have to get involved. “Going forward it doesnt augur well,” he declared, “It’s unfortunate that another impasse has occurred. We dont know the details but if Caricom has to get involved then so be it.” Borde, who was also the manager of the Trinidad and Tobago team, believes it is a huge blow for the WICB and the players. “It’s disappointing for fans around the world really. Touring India is great in many respects because you (players) get to pit yourself against the world’s one-day champions, and from a WICB perceptive, it’s a huge money making deal,” he explained. Despite taking the decision to abandon the tour due to the payment dispute, some West Indies players were still deeply affected by everything that transpired. Contacted yesterday by Newsday, Dwayne Bravo did not want to comment of the mood of the players. “Nah boss. I not commenting about that,” Bravo said, before hanging up the phone. On Twitter yesterday, wicketkeeper Denesh Ramdin revealed that the players only got two hours sleep before yesterday’s match. “Thank God I am going home, this was some of the hardest days of my life playing under so much stress. Know God is great...Good effort to the guys after only two hours of sleep from all the stress last night. Great innings by Marlon...What happen in the DARK will always come out in the LIGHT so I ent worried ah bit. They will have to answer to God...How many nights without sleeping over this, it’s over now I am going home to my amazing wife,” Ramdin tweeted. The West Indies Test captain also tweeted that he might have to arrange his own flight back to Trinidad as “it seems like it’s very difficult for some people.” Kieron Pollard was a bit cryptic in his Tweets, stating “Who feels it knows it!! Never thought I would ever felt this way!! But there is a God, he wears pyjamas but never sleeps!!” Former West Indies pacer Michael Holding called the development “ridiculous” and “embarrassing”.
Posted on: Sat, 18 Oct 2014 12:39:06 +0000
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