C&W applaud WI 1st Test play

THE WEST Indies cricket team’s performance in the first Digicel Test match against South Africa has come in for high praise from Cable & Wireless. The English-based telecommunications giants were embroiled in a heated dispute with the Irish-based Digicel over player contracts, which saw former captain Brian Lara, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Chris Gayle, Dwayne Smith, Dwayne Bravo, Ravi Rampaul and Fidel Edwards deemed ineligible by the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) for the first Test in Guyana, which ended in a draw on Monday.

According to Cable & Wireless’ senior vice-president of corporate marketing Rachelle Franklin, “their performance is all the more significant given the pressures the entire team has been under due to team selection and contract issues.” Franklin added: “We are further encouraged that the actions we took over the last few days have resulted in the eligibility of several key players for selection in time for the Second Test in Trinidad. “Now, the best possible team can represent the West Indies, an outcome we have always wanted,” she noted. The company reaffirmed their  support of cricket in the region and will now focus its attention on the ICC World Cup 2007 here in the Caribbean, as a major sponsor.