West Indian players stand behind captain Dwayne Bravo at toss before 4th ODI

Dwayne Bravo

The entire West Indian squad stood behind Dwayne Bravo at the toss before the 4th ODI against India. For a moment, many people at the ground panicked that the Caribbean side were set to pull out of the match.

Pay dispute between players and board

Such fear was soon put to rest as Bravo said that the reason all the players were together was to display an united front over the contract dispute between the West Indian Cricket Board (WICB), West Indies Players Association (WIPA) and the players.

Just last Saturday, news had emerged that the WIPA had struck a deal regarding a new fees structure with the WICB without consulting the players. According to Bravo, the players understood that their Test, ODI and T20 fees had been decreased by up to 75%, with image rights and ICC fees reduced by almost 100%.

The West Indian team had threatened to boycott the first ODI last week in Kochi over the issue, but ultimately took to the field. In Bravo’s letter to the WICB before that match, the 31-year-old had said that the players were “hoodwinked” by Wavell Hinds, who is the current WIPA President.

West Indian players playing reluctantly

The Trinidadian mentioned that the main reason behind the players continuing to play was because they didn’t want the game of cricket and its fans to get affected by the fiasco.

“My team is standing behind me [and he doesn't mean it metaphorically, remember], it's been a tough tour for us. We don't want cricket to suffer and we don't want our fans to suffer. It's time to make a decision though. Must give credit to my boys for all the fight they've put up,” said Bravo.

On Thursday, WICB President Dave Cameron had written to Bravo, telling him that WIPA is the only association they are willing to negotiate with.