West Indies quit India cricket tour

The West Indies Cricket Board have cancelled all future games in their tour of India due to a payment dispute with its players, the Indian board said on Friday.

The tourists will complete Friday’s fourth one-day international against India at Dharamsala, but will not play any more games – a fifth one-dayer, a Twenty20 match and three Tests were on the itinerary.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) said it had been informed by West Indies team manager Richie Richardson that the squad will not be taking part in the rest of the tour.

“The BCCI is shocked and extremely disappointed at the decision taken by the WICB (West Indies Cricket Board),” BCCI secretary Sanjay Patel said in a statement.

“The WICB’s inability to resolve internal issues with its players and allowing the same to affect an ongoing bilateral series does not reflect well on any of those involved.

“The withdrawal gives little thought to the future of the game, the players and the long standing relations between the BCCI and WICB.”

West Indies one-day captain Dwayne Bravo has said before the start of the tour on October 8 that the players had not accepted a payment agreement signed on their behalf by the West Indies Players Association with the WICB.

However, the players took the field for the first two one-dayers in Kochi and New Delhi, while the third match in Visakhapatnam was cancelled due to a severe cyclonic storm that hit India’s east coast recently.

The Indian board said it will take up the tour cancellation by the West Indies with the International Cricket Council.

“The BCCI wishes to inform all its stakeholders, especially ardent fans of the Indian cricket team, that this is a unilateral decision taken by the WICB and its players, in spite of several appeals to the WICB to honour its commitment and complete the series,” Patel said.

“The BCCI will pursue all options available to protect its rights, whilst seeking appropriate action from the ICC to ensure that its interests and those of the game at large will not suffer any damage due to such acts of indiscretion.”

The BCCI, meanwhile, announced it had finalised a five-match one-day series against Sri Lanka between November 1 and 15 to replace the cancelled West Indies tour.

“The BCCI wishes to thank Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) for its swift response and for extending its support to ensure that the international cricket season is not curtailed,” a separate statement from the BCCI said.

The exact schedule and venues for the hastily-arranged series will be announced shortly, Patel said.

Former West Indies fast bowling great Michael Holding, who was working as a TV commentator on the tour, said the development was “ridiculous” and “embarrassing.”

“I have never seen anything like this in the past,” Holding told Sky TV. “I can see serious repercussions from this. I think this is a ridiculous decision by the West Indies Cricket Board. They like to hide behind half-truths.

“It’s embarrassing for me, as someone who played for the West Indies, to see this happening. I was told a director of the WICB did not know about this decision. Let us hope the majority of the board made this decision, otherwise it has been made by very dubious means.”

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