WICB, WIPA meet again next week

THE West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) and the West Indies Players’ Association (WIPA) are yet to come to any agreement concerning their dispute on match/tour contracts, included in the invitation package issued by the Board on November 5, to 25 players. Both parties met in  St John’s, Antigua on Thursday but a number of matters were still undecided and a meeting has been scheduled for next week, at a venue and date to be announced. The invitation letter, which is the only document the players were requested to sign and return to the Board, asked the players to indicate whether they would be able to fulfil the obligations under the match/tour Contract if they gained selection on the 14-man squad to tour Australia next January for the triangular VB One-Day International series involving the hosts and Pakistan.

The contracts had previously been sent to WIPA on October 7 for the association’s comments and requested that these comments be submitted by October 31 to the WICB. The Board, not having received any comment from WIPA, issued the invitations including the contracts, five days later. At the time of issue, the Board had still not received any comment from WIPA. Included in the package was a request by the Board for players to indicate their acceptance within ten days of having received it by signing and returning the letter of invitation. Some of the players have already signed and returned their letters and the last of the recipients are expected to comply with the existing deadline.