Tony Becca
The West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) and the West Indies Players Association (WIPA) are at it again.
Once again, both organisations are caught in a dogfight over money, once again there is a stand-off, and once again, West Indies cricket stands to suffer the embarrassment of going into a series without some of its best, or rather most of its best players in action.
The latest showdown follows the board's offer to the players to participate in a tri-nation tournament involving India and Australia in Singapore and Kuala Lumpur - an offer which WIPA has refused.
According to the board, it offered a fee of between US$25,000 and US$59,000 to each player representing 25 per cent of the net revenue from the tournament, WIPA asked for between US$40,000 and US$95,000 representing 40 per cent of the net revenue, the board said no, and it has decided, as it has done in the past, to make its offer directly to the players.
WIPA is mad with the board for doing that, it is saying that the board's action is premature; it is accusing the board of attempting to divide and rule, and remembering what has happened in West Indies cricket since November 2004 when the board and WIPA first locked horns over money, the present situation could lead to a second 11, or as near to a second 11 that it really does not matter, representing the West Indies against India and Australia. With that tournament taking place immediately following the tri-nation, that eleven also, who to tell, could probably even represent the West Indies at the ICC Champions Trophy. I would not, however, bet on that happening this time around. In fact, WIPA had better be careful, lest it do not slit its own throat.
Be careful
One reason why WIPA had better be careful is that at present the board is broke - flat broke, and regardless of whatever good intentions it may have, however deserving the players may be, with debtors all around and programmes to finance, it simply cannot afford to be generous to the players.
Another reason is that based on the players' performance and the attitude of some of them, the public, this time around, may be on the board's side - and especially so as the 25 per cent of the net revenue represents an increase to the players.
And still another reason, however, probably the most important one, is that this time, captain Brian Lara is not in support of a boycott - and as everyone in and around West Indies cricket knows, the players, most of them, whether they like him or not, follow his lead.
In other words, if Lara, as he had done in the past, refused to sign the contract offered him directly by the board, all the other players, barring the usual two or three, will also refuse to sign.
If, on the other hand, however, Lara accepted the contract and signed it, you can bet your bottom dollar that all the players will also sign it.
Independent position
In all of this, Lara, who has also said, probably not too seriously, that "I'm not someone to have an independent position", has said that he is definitely going to be playing cricket. In asking both parties to come to an agreement in the interest of West Indies cricket, captain Lara, who is looking towards the defence of the Champions Trophy and obviously to the World Cup, has been quoted as saying that what he likes about it (the tri-nations) is that "it will be perfect preparation for the ICC Champions Trophy tournament. Playing against teams like Australia and India definitely will get us prepared for defending our trophy that we won a couple of years ago at The Oval. The guys are looking forward to it; and it will be excellent preparation."
After the West Indies' 4-1 victory over India, Lara is looking ahead with confidence, he is looking towards the ICC Champions Trophy and the World Cup.
India and Australia can help him prepare for both of them and although, as he has said, he is not someone to have an independent position, no WIPA, no Dinanath Ramnarine is going to prevent him from grasping that opportunity - the opportunity to get his team so ready that as the captain, he will have a wonderful chance of not only successfully defending the Champions Trophy, but also of being the first West Indies captain since Clive Lloyd in 1979 to lift the World Cup.
