Sourav Ganguly criticises West Indies cricket board for giving CPL priority over Indo-Windies Test series

The former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly has sharply criticised the West Indies Cricket Board for giving more priority to club cricket rather than an international Test series. The Indian national team is presently playing a four-match Test series against West Indies where India has already defeated Windies with a stunning performance in the first match. India is in a position to storm to a commanding win over the hosts in the second Test match.

The most important players of the West Indies Team like Chris Gayle, Dwayne Bravo, Kieron Pollard, Andre Russell, and Sunil Narine are missing from the host’s Test Team. Ganguly was not much impressed with the idea as the contest without them is almost equivalent to no contest at all.

These players are not taking part in the Test series against India but they are currently representing and playing for their T20 sides in the ongoing Caribbean Premier League tournament which is being held alongside the ongoing four-Test series against India.

"I think it is the ICC's job to make sure this is happening (that best players represent the country at Test level) but I do not think ICC has control over these T20 leagues. We hold our IPL and we make sure the Indian Team is not playing anywhere else in the world so that is why the players are available for the IPL and players are then available to play for India.”

“So I think there needs to be a window in West Indies cricket as well where they can do this Caribbean Premier League for two weeks or three weeks and make sure that by the time the Test cricket season starts it is over... like the Australians do in the Big Bash and the Big Bash they play during the season but they make sure that the Test players are playing Test cricket for Australia”, said Ganguly.

Ganguly continued saying that the WICB should’ve ensured that the best players turn up for the Windies and he had these words to say, “So, it is a bit of maturity from the West Indies, it is bit of a pride for the West Indies cricketers to turn up for their country and also scheduling from their board as well because the Caribbean Premier League is organised by the WICB."

The former captain also stated that at a recent meeting England with the MCC World Cricket Committee, he asked how ICC allowed test cricket to be played without such important players. Ganguly put forward the thought that the players are getting paid more in the T20 tournaments than the Test matches and asked the ICC to sort it out and find the right balance.

Ganguly also said that players should be mature enough to know that representing the country comes ahead of the club. He also questioned the Windies board’s decision to organise a T20 league when India are touring the country and said that India’s visit would bring money to the country.

He added, “I think that is where ICC needs to come in because the likes of Gayle, Russell, Bravo and Pollard who are automatic choices in this squad don't get picked for the West Indies and the reason is that if they are getting about 2000 dollars to play for the West Indies, in the same period they get about a million dollars for playing in the T20 leagues. So, I think it is the balances of the finances.”