Impasse over, WI seven eligible

THE impasse between the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) and seven West Indies players contracted to Cable & Wireless is over. And According to a WICB statement, the seven players — Brian Lara, Chris Gayle, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Fidel Edwards, Dwayne Bravo, Dwayne Smith and Ravi Rampaul are all eligible for selection for the Second Test in Trinidad, starting on Friday.

This impasse which has been raging since December last year, saw West Indies selecting a “weakened” team to face South Africa in the current First Test at Bourda, Guyana. The matter engaged Grenada Prime Minister Dr Keith Mitchell, head of the Prime Ministerial sub-committee on cricket, and also went to an arbitration with Justice Adrian Saunders. In a bitter struggle, the West Indies Players’ Association headed by Dinanath Ramnarine insisted the seven cricketers who all had personal contracts with Cable & Wireless must be selected.

But the WICB held out that they owed it to new US$20 million sponsors and telecommunications giants Digicel that the players could not be contracted to Cable & Wireless and so capable of displaying their logo. In a statement from their St John’s, Antigua headquarters, The West Indies Cricket Board have advised the selectors that Christopher Gayle, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Dwayne Bravo and Fidel Edwards are eligible for selection on the West Indies team for the Second Test in the Digicel 2005 Home Series against South Africa. Brian Lara has also indicated that he is willing to accept the Board’s invitation to make himself available for selection.

The advice with respect to Gayle and Sarwan followed the review by the Board’s legal counsel of correspondence from legal representatives of the two players. With respect to Bravo and Edwards, the Board received correspondence from Cable & Wireless to the effect that the company had terminated their personal endorsement contracts. The Second Test Match begins in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad and Tobago on April 8.