WICB decision on Lara today

ST JOHN’S: West Indies captain Brian Lara and six other Cable and Wireless-sponsored players will know today if they will be eligible for selection to the West Indies team for the upcoming Test series against South Africa. The West Indies Cricket Board yesterday said that it would make a determination on the individual contracts currently being reviewed by their lawyers, and then decide on the eligibility of the players in question by mid-day today. Lara, along with Chris Gayle, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Dwayne Bravo, Dwayne Smith, Fidel Edwards and Ravi Rampaul, are currently considered ineligible for selection.

“The West Indies Cricket Board expects to make a determination on the review by their lawyers of the personal endorsement contracts signed by seven players with Cable and Wireless by 12 noon on Thursday and will then be in a position to advise the selectors with respect to the eligibility of those players,” a release from Leonard Robertson, the WICB’s Corporate Communications Manager, said yesterday. The release said that team for the First Test, which was expected to be revealed today, will now be announced tomorrow.

“The West Indies cricket selectors will meet on Thursday, March 17 to decide on the squad for the First Test Match of the Digicel 2005 Home Series against South Africa, which begins in Guyana on 31 March,” the WICB release continued. “The selected players will participate in a team camp in Barbados commencing on March 23. The team will be announced on Friday.” The WICB had indicated on Sunday that while the review of the Cable and Wireless contracts was in process, the seven players would remain outside of consideration for selection. Further, the Board had also noted that the selectors would be instructed to name the squad for the First Test today.

The controversial contracts, at the centre of the sponsorship row between Digicel and Cable and  Wireless, were forwarded to the WICB last Friday after the intervention of the Caricom prime ministerial sub-committee on cricket. Chairman of that committee, Grenada’s prime minister Dr Keith Mitchell subsequently made a call for the reinstatement of the seven players, especially since the WICB were in receipt of the contracts. However, the Board pointed out that until this process was completed, the players would remain ineligible. The First Test against South Africa bowls off on March 31. (CMC)