Motley Windies crew for Sri Lanka

ST JOHN’S, Antigua: West Indies have put together a motley collection of players for their tour of Sri Lanka that looked in peril after protracted contractual negotiations between the West Indies Cricket Board and the West Indies Players Association. Shivnarine Chanderpaul, whose 86 Tests and 175 ODIs make him head and shoulders the most experienced member of the squad, has been handed the task of leading a bunch of players of which three have absolutely no experience in senior international cricket, four have never played a Test, and the rest have played ten Tests or less.

This is the result of failed negotiations between the WICB and WIPA on the issue of sponsorship guarantee fees, after they had managed to settle their differences about binding arbitration on certain terms and conditions in the match/tour contracts offered by the board. The WICB said it had received the signed acceptance of the 14 players, who had been invited on the advice of the selection panel, and the latest invitations were accompanied by match/tour contracts that all 14 players accepted and signed. “We have a responsibility to Sri Lanka, India and the International Cricket Council to honour the agreement for this Test series and three-nation limited-overs international competition, and we will do all in our power to meet that commitment,” remarked Roger Brathwaite in a WICB news release late on Thursday.

“The Board had indicated to WIPA, last October, at the time of the discussions prior to the VB Series in Australia that its demands in relation to sponsorship fees were highly unreasonable  and unsustainable given the level of sponsorship which the WICB has with team sponsor, Digicel. “The WICB cannot afford this latest demand by WIPA for US$150,000 given the level of sponsorship fees already paid for this year with the VB Series and the home series, and with another tour to Australia scheduled for later this year.” Eight of the players that will join Chanderpaul in Sri Lanka are from the West Indies A-Team already there. Media reports had indicated that only two of the A-Team players — Tino Best and Kerry Jeremy — seemed willing to accept the WICB’s offer, and the rest of the squad was going to stand in solidarity with the ten senior team players who originally rejected the WICB’s invitation.

A-Team members Narsingh Deonarine, Jermaine Lawson, Xavier Marshall, Runako Morton, Ryan Ramdass, and Dwayne Smith have all joined Best and Jeremy in signing up to stay on for the senior tour. They are joined by fast bowler Daren Powell and wicketkeeper Denesh Ramdin, who were two of three members of the original touring party that had accepted the WICB’s earlier invitation. Three players who were busy plying their trade in the English leagues were summoned to higher duty. It meant recalls to the side for teammates Sylvester Joseph and Omari Banks, while the uncapped Deighton Butler gets his first senior international tour. West Indies are scheduled to play two Tests against Sri Lanka in Colombo, July 13 to 17, and Kandy, July 21 to 25, as well as a three-nation limited-overs international series with the hosts and India, starting on July 30.

Squad (with international experience in brackets): Shivnarine Chanderpaul (capt, 86 Tests, 175 ODIs), Omari Banks (8 Tests, no ODIs), Tino Best (10 Tests, 6 ODIs), Deighton Butler (uncapped), Narsingh Deonarine (2 Tests), Kerry Jeremy (6 ODIs), Sylvester Joseph (2 Tests, 9 ODIs), Jermaine Lawson (10 Tests, 11 ODIs), Xavier Marshall (6 ODIs), Runako Morton (5 ODIs), Daren Powell (10 Tests, 6 ODIs), Ryan Ramdass (uncapped), Denesh Ramdin (uncapped), Dwayne Smith (6 Tests, 26 ODIs). (CMC)