After the ignominy of the World Cup and the sufferance with which they will be hosted by England, one would have thought that the West Indies cricket team and their union would be shamed into reason.

But it seems that Dinanath Ramnarine, the CEO of the West Indies Players' Association (WIPA), is a man without shame or reason and with the sensibilities of a mug. So, Ramnarine, apparently, is pushing again for more pay for the players during the tour of England that is to begin in a fortnight's time. There are dark hints of the possibility of a strike if negotiations break down.

The current point of contention is the interpretation of what issues are to be covered in an arbitration by Barbados' Chief Justice Sir David Simmons in a dispute over pay between WIPA and the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB). WIPA's argument is that the tour of England is not part of the International Cricket Council's (ICC) agreed touring programme, therefore, contracts for it ought to be subject to separate negotiations rather than be among the issues to be settled by Sir David's arbitration.

We read this to mean that WIPA hopes to jack up the rates instead of being compensated under existing arrangements, with adjustments being subject to Sir David's findings. In other words, as we see it, WIPA and the West Indies players, if they have indeed endorsed this position, are being greedy, spoiled and senseless brats.

Our position is that the WICB should pay the West Indies players not one red cent more. Nor should the board negotiate with WIPA. Mr. Ramnarine, and whoever else, should be sent packing forthwith. The board should dare them to strike.

We hope that the players do strike and that the WICB has the gumption to embrace the proposals we made previously in these columns. That is, it would be a grand opportunity for the West Indies team to be withdrawn from Test and one-day internationals for the next two to three years, with international representation limited to 'A' team tours. The time would be spent beginning the rebuilding of West Indies cricket from the bottom up and giving the current players an opportunity to realise just how low they have cast the regional game.

We suspect, however, that the WICB would be unwilling to execute the options we have outlined. We would, therefore, settle for the next best thing, as suggested by their CEO, Bruce Aanensen: that if the current Test players strike, a new set would be selected for the tour, assuming they would be willing to go.

In the past, tough action by the WICB has not easily found favour with the Caribbean public. The board's own mismanagement robbed it of moral authority.

This time, however, things are rather different. The West Indian public, we believe, would back the WICB and rebuff the arrogant posturing of WIPA and the players.

It is not that the board is suddenly sanctified. Rather, the apparently callous, cavalier and, worse, spineless performance of the West Indies team in a World Cup for which they were hosts, marked the players as a bunch lacking in guts and pride. And now they would add greed.