Grenada PM to mediate WI cricket impasse

ST GEORGE’S: Grenada Prime Minister Dr Keith Mitchell agreed to intervene in a contract dispute between the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) and their players which has jeopardised a tour of Australia. The Prime Minister, in his capacity as chairman of the Caribbean Community (Caricom) Prime Ministerial Subcommittee on Cricket, will convene a meeting today between the board and West Indies Players Association (WIPA) in St George’s. “Given the vital importance of cricket to the social and economic development of the region, I felt it was essential to have this matter resolved in the most amicable way possible,” the Prime Minister said yesterday.

The board dumped captain Brian Lara and 15 other players this week for not signing letters of invitation to a three-week camp in Barbados starting on Monday, in preparation for a one-day tournament with Australia and Pakistan in January. The main dispute involved as many as 10 senior players, including Lara, who have sponsorship deals with Cable & Wireless, a telecommunications rival of Digicel, which signed a multimillion dollar sponsorship deal with the cricket board last month. Nine of the 25 invitees did accept the invitation, however WIPA president Dinanath Ramnarine said some of them agreed only with the understanding and condition that their contract be negotiated by WIPA.

The board said it will replace the 16 players it ditched, many of whom helped the West Indies win the Champions Trophy in England in September. Cricket Australia said it might consider an alternative team if a substandard West Indies team was chosen to tour. WIPA made it harder for the board to find suitable recruits by advising all West Indies players from under-19 level up not to sign any contract it has not fully negotiated.