Report: Gayle, Sarwan end C&W contracts

WEST Indies batsman Ramnaresh Sarwan and Chris Gayle have terminated their personal endorsement deals with Cable and Wireless, according to a report on the Wisden Cricinfo Website. The report said that attorneys for the duo had informed Cable and Wireless that they were ending their personal contracts with immediate effect.

Cricinfo reported that it was likely that the four remaining affected players —  Dwayne Bravo, Dwayne Smith, Fidel Edwards and Ravi Rampaul —  would follow suit very shortly. Guyana-based attorney Sanjay Datadin, who served as legal counsel to Sarwan and Gayle, was quoted as saying the pair decided to act in the best interests of West Indies cricket, adding that all they wanted to do was “play the game.”

“Any decision to breach the contract would technically mean that Cable and Wireless could take legal action,” Cricinfo said and speculated that the negative publicity associated with such a move would be unappealing for the telephone company. A spokesman for Digicel welcomed the announcement and said that “everyone will be delighted to see the strongest West Indies side on the pitch.” Officials at Cable and Wireless could not be reached for comment.