Cancelled: West Indies tour of India comes to abrupt end

Sri Lanka take place of visitors, who return home due to internal disputes


Reuters October 17, 2014

NEW DELHI: The West Indies tour of India has come to an abrupt end as the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) has called back its players after the fourth ODI due to an internal dispute over the pay structure. In their stead, Sri Lanka will now play five ODIs in India.

The WICB and the West Indies Players Association (WIPA) signed a new agreement last month covering pay and conditions but it was rejected by the senior players, including one-day captain Dwayne Bravo, who claimed they were kept in the dark and demanded the resignation of WIPA chief Wavell Hinds.

The players subsequently issued a strike threat, but eventually took to the field and were playing the fourth ODI at the Dharamsala when The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) confirmed the abrupt end to the tour, which was scheduled to include a fifth ODI, a Twenty20 International and three Test matches.

“The WICB has informed the BCCI of its decision to cancel the rest of its ongoing tour to India because of a dispute with its players, and has advised the BCCI that its players will return home immediately," said BCCI Secretary Sanjay Patel in a statement.

The entire team accompanied Bravo for the toss on Friday in what looked like a show of strength. "My team is standing behind me, it's been a tough situation...it's time we have to make a decision," said the 31-year-old all-rounder.

The abrupt withdrawal, however, angered the world's richest cricket board with the BCCI criticising the ‘unilateral’ decision. "The BCCI is shocked and extremely disappointed at the decision taken by the WICB," said Patel. "The WICB's inability to resolve internal issues with its players and allowing the same to affect an ongoing bilateral series does not reflect well on any of those involved."

However, the Indian board moved swiftly to fill the void and within hours convinced Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) to send a team for a five-match ODI series starting on November 1.

"The BCCI wishes to thank SLC for its swift response and for extending its support to ensure that the international cricket season is not curtailed," said Patel.

 

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COMMENTS (1)

Sanjay | 9 years ago | Reply

That's the power of BCCI, within few hours they got replacement for WI team... Any comment from my Pakistani bros??

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