WICB says it was 'left with no other option' after West Indies players refused to play in the rest of the tour

WICB has blamed the players for the cancellation of India tour

The West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) has said that it was left with “no other option but to discontinue the tour” after its players in India informed the board of their decision to “withdraw their services” for the rest of the tour.

WICB’s latest press release puts light on the developments between the players and the board which led to a premature end to the West Indies tour.

After the 4^th ODI in Dharmasala, won by India by 59 runs, the curtailed series was won by the home team 2-1. There was some confusion about West Indies’ withdrawal from the tour, but the latest press release shows that it was left with no other option.

“The WICB clarifies that players in the West Indies Squad currently in India represented by Mr. Dwayne Bravo indicated to the WICB through the West Indies Team Management that the players have taken a decision to withdraw their services for the remainder of the tour of India. As a result of this action by the players the WICB was left with no option but to advise the BCCI that it will no longer be able to provide a West Indies team for the remaining five matches (5th ODI, T20 International, three Test matches)”, the press release said.

A replacement team not accepted by BCCI

Once the primary squad had refused to take part in the rest of the matches, WICB said that it “its proposed alternative arrangement of a replacement West Indies team was not considered acceptable” by the Indian board.

Instead, BCCI roped in Sri Lanka for a 5-match ODI series starting November 1. (Sri Lanka to compensate for West Indies pull out, accept BCCI's offer)

“The WICB unreservedly apologises to West Indian fans and all cricket fans for this most regrettable situation and the premature end to the tour.

“The WICB unreservedly apologises to the BCCI, their sponsors, broadcasters and other stakeholders for the premature end to the tour,” the release said.

There have been talks of BCCI taking a legal action against the West Indies board following its inability to complete the tour, but WICB was hopeful of continuation of the goodwill between the two boards. “The WICB wishes the BCCI every success with the proposed alternative arrangements and looks forward to the continuation of the strong and longstanding relationship between the two boards.”

Tour was ‘uncertain’ from its inception

The Windies board said ‘uncertainty’ shrouded this tour from the very start. “The WICB clarifies further that as a result of postulations by the players, the tour was under a cloud of uncertainty from the inception. The WICB, acting prudently, advised the host board – BCCI – of the developments and remained in constant contact to provide updates as to the threat of possible player action.”

Ahead of the 1^st ODI in Kochi, the West Indies players threatened to go on a strike after they said they were ‘hoodwinked’ into signing a Memorandum of Understanding between West Indies Players’ Association (WIPA) and WICB by WIPA chief Wavell Hinds. Despite the theat, the match went ahead as scheduled.

At the toss in the 4^th ODI at Dharmasala, captain Dwayne Bravo was present along with the entire Windies team in a ‘show of solidarity’ by the squad. Bravo stressed upon the ‘difficult times’ for the players and said that yet they were putting cricket before the rest.

Meanwhile, the players and the board were in talks to come up with a solution, but the talks eventually broke down and following the players’ decision to not play any further matches, and the proposal of a replacement team rejected by BCCI, WICB had to cancel the tour.

A delagation was scheduled to talk to players

WICB revealed that it had planned to send a delegation to India to talk with players and sort out their issues, but following the cancellation now, it was no longer possible.

“The WICB regrets that the delegation which was pre-scheduled to travel to India to meet with the players on a number of issues will no longer be able to conduct such meeting at which the intention was also to discuss the concerns of the players.

“The delegation had included WICB Chief Executive Officer Mr. Michael Muirhead, Chairman of the Cricket Committee Mr. Julian Charles and also WIPA President and CEO Mr. Wavell Hinds. The delegation had been scheduled to arrive in India on Monday October 20.

“This meeting was scheduled prior to any issues being raised with the New MOU/CBA and it was intended to acquaint all the parties of how it would roll out. This was necessary as the WICB did not have an opportunity to so do in the Caribbean due to the logistical challenges of assembling all the players prior to departure for the tour of India (some of the players were already in India participating in the Champions League). The WICB CEO, Mr. Muirhead and WIPA President/CEO Mr. Hinds had been in negotiations with regard to finding a mutually agreeable position to allow for the full tour to be completed,” the release said.

‘Inflammatory language’ by Dwayne Bravo

WICB accused West Indies skipper Dwayne Bravo of using ‘inflmmatory language’ in the initial communications between the board, WIPA and the players. The board states that “Mr. Bravo chose to use inflammatory language and issue a clear threat to cause injury to West Indies cricket.”

In its press release, WICB said Bravo wrote, “Please note that we are giving you the opportunity to right this wrong before things deteriorate [sic] to such an extent that West Indies cricket to the wider cricket world looks to fall to its knees again.”

Earlier, BCCI had released the timeline of WICB’s withdrawal from the tour.