WI-India standoff: ICC ‘concerned’ but won’t intervene unless asked to

WICB hoping for meeting with BCCI in attempt to deflect financial crisis

NEW DELHI/BRIDGETOWN: The International Cricket Council (ICC) said on Wednesday it was concerned at the stand-off between the Indian and West Indies boards, but would not intervene unless asked by the two parties.

In a statement on its website, the world governing body said it was ‘closely monitoring the developments’, which would be discussed at the ICC's Executive Board meeting in Dubai on November 10.

The ICC, the statement said, is "concerned with the dispute between the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) and it was closely monitoring the developments arising from the recently cancelled tour of India.

"The ICC hopes that the matter will be resolved amicably, but clarified that, unless the matter is otherwise referred to it, it does not have the power to intervene in disputes resulting from a bilateral Future Tours Programme tour."

The ICC said it would not comment further on the matter until the board meeting.

WI seek India meeting in damage-control bid

The WICB directors are seeking a meeting with their Indian counterparts in a bid to minimise the potentially colossal consequences of the unprecedented abandonment of the tour of India by the Caribbean side last week.

The West Indies cut short their tour last Friday because of an internal pay dispute, even though the fifth ODI, a T20 match and three Tests still remained to be played.

India retaliated by cancelling a tour scheduled for February and March 2016 to play three Tests, five one-dayers and a T20I.

The BCCI, one of the richest bodies in world cricket, said earlier on Tuesday it would ‘initiate legal proceedings’ against the West Indies, but gave no details.

Some initial estimates have stated the BCCI's losses on the India tour at $65 million.

Fighting a costly legal action is not something the WICB can afford. And given that India's tours generate huge sponsorship money for the host nation due to the country's large cricket-viewing population, cancellation of the February-March fixtures threatens to be financially devastating for Caribbean cricket.

The WICB issued a brief statement saying they were ‘deeply embarrassed’ by recent events and said a task force comprising ‘critical stakeholders’, would be established to review the premature end of the tour.

The statement issued by the WICB said in the light of a decades-long good relationship with their Indian counterparts, they looked forward to meeting them to discuss decisions which ‘can have serious implications for West Indies cricket’.

The WICB added it "believes that a way can be found to repair the damage that has been caused and to ensure that similar events do not recur, with the focus being on the betterment of West Indies and world cricket".

 

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