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WI Contract Crisis - Chapter: Please not again.

hendrix

Hall of Fame Member
Personally I think the former agreement - that 25% of earnings from the competition go to the squad members - is unsustainable. The ICC tournaments are the major earning point for the WICB. The squad members are products of the domestic game and have to view their team as an earning tool for the entire region. And notably, the payout by the ICC has changed so that it's more stable over 4 years rather than a massive short term payout.

The new agreement states that they still get 25% of the agreed minimum of the 4 year cycle, + any additional revenue earned directly to the players.

That's a pretty awesome agreement for the players IMO.

It just means they'll get less of a huge payout for the tournaments. That is a good thing.
 
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hendrix

Hall of Fame Member
$27600 each is the worst case scenario for each player. That is not acceptable.
for what, a 4 week tournament?

On top of their contracted rates? With all expenses paid? I realise pay scales are relative but sheesh. I wouldnt mind that money.

$27 000 guaranteed, with much, much more money a possibility.
 

hendrix

Hall of Fame Member
there are going to be 35 total matches in the world t20 tournament.

Formerly they would earn $133K. This is playing for a board which can barely play their domestic players salaries.

I think $27K is quite fair, particularly with the potential to earn much more.
 

Day Man

School Boy/Girl Cricketer
The numbers don't add up.

If the net amount 'x' payable to the WICB by the ICC remains the same, and the players' cut (25%) remains the same, and the only change is the frequency of the incoming cheques, then each player should still be getting the same amount as before. I hope this isn't a case of the players unhappy that they'll have to buy their new cars on an installment plan rather than outright cash.

If they're genuinely going to get paid less, it suggests that the WICB are either getting paid less overall for ICC tournaments than before (very unlikely) or that they're shifting around the money from ICC tournaments under various other headings to reduce their ICC tournament related payments to the players (most likely). It's shady accounting tricks.
 

cnerd123

likes this
I think the issue is less about the actual payments, but more to do with the WICB flip flopping and going back on their previous agreements again.

The players are probably already really sick of this behaviour and aren't willing to put up with it again, especially now that they know the WICB needs them more than they need the WICB.
 

Day Man

School Boy/Girl Cricketer
I think the issue is less about the actual payments, but more to do with the WICB flip flopping and going back on their previous agreements again.
I don't think that's what's happened.

The participation remuneration for a contest organized by the ICC that the players participated in was $100. They negotiated a contract with their board for a 25% cut.

Now the ICC changed everything up and said that the boards would all still get $100, only that it would be split into $20 a year over 5 years under a different heading of "member's contribution".

Their contract was for the splitting of participation remuneration, not member's contribution. Therefore legally the contract they signed with their board is now just a worthless sheet of paper. That participation remuneration does not exist anymore technically.

The WICB, in a 'gesture of goodwill' says that the $20 they get this year is the legal successor to the participation remuneration thingy, and so 'honouring the previous contract', gives the players 25% of that, which is effectively $5, an ~80% reduction.

The players could still make as much as before by continuing to feature in the teams put out by the WICB, provided they continue to receive the 20% of that ICC contribution every year in the form of annual contracts. It would now be an installment scheme instead of a lump sum payment. That would require a committment from these players to Test cricket, and not just concentrating on a single hit and giggle tournament, which might not be palatable to T20 players for obvious reasons.

What we don't know is whether it's the T20 squad being disingenuous and hiding that fact (notice the lack of protests from the domestic players and Test specialists here), or the board refusing to pay out that remaining $80 by resorting to perfectly legal accounting tricks 101.
 
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brockley

International Captain
The fact is only competitive in T20.
2nd the players don't play 50 overs or tests,rather franchise cricket.
They only have themselves 2 blame,none of them sign Windies' national contracts.
That said both should come to middle ground.

Thats a hell a lot of money the players want,Windies' needs to fund its competitions and the Academy which has had nothing done for it in 3 years,no players,no nothing.
 
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cnerd123

likes this
I don't think that's what's happened.

The participation remuneration for a contest organized by the ICC that the players participated in was $100. They negotiated a contract with their board for a 25% cut.

Now the ICC changed everything up and said that the boards would all still get $100, only that it would be split into $20 a year over 5 years under a different heading of "member's contribution".

Their contract was for the splitting of participation remuneration, not member's contribution. Therefore legally the contract they signed with their board is now just a worthless sheet of paper. That participation remuneration does not exist anymore technically.

The WICB, in a 'gesture of goodwill' says that the $20 they get this year is the legal successor to the participation remuneration thingy, and so 'honouring the previous contract', gives the players 25% of that, which is effectively $5, an 80% reduction.

The players could still make as much as before by continuing to feature in the teams put out by the WICB, provided they continue to receive the 20% of that ICC contribution every year in the form of annual contracts. It would now be an installment scheme instead of a lump sum payment. That would require a committment from these players to Test cricket, and not just concentrating on a single hit and giggle tournament, which might not be palatable to T20 players for obvious reasons.

What we don't know is whether it's the players being disingenuous and hiding that fact, or the board refusing to pay out that remaining $80 by resorting to perfectly legal accounting tricks 101.
tbf I can see why a lot of the squad are annoyed that their lump sum payment is being split up over 5 years. How many of them are still going to be around playing for the next 5 years, let alone for the West Indies?
 

Day Man

School Boy/Girl Cricketer
tbf I can see why a lot of the squad are annoyed that their lump sum payment is being split up over 5 years. How many of them are still going to be around playing for the next 5 years, let alone for the West Indies?
IMO if it's not a case of the WICB deciding to withhold continuing payments, it's better for the health of WI cricket that way. The WI needs players to concentrate on all forms of the game consistently, not just develop their game for the formats and tournaments that provide 15 players the biggest payday. Otherwise they're just going to end up with a core bunch of mercenaries who can afford to neglect the financially less lucrative forms of the game.
 

Spikey

Request Your Custom Title Now!
do the wicb do new contracts everytime theyre about to get dat indian tv money or something
 

theegyptian

International Vice-Captain
agree with some others here.

Without reading all the literature this seems like the WICB maybe looking to support test/odi cricket and domestic cricket. They've got to do something to stop all their players leaving for T20 leagues around the world. Gayle, Sammy, all the t20 guys make a killing already. It's the likes of Kraigg Brathwaite they've got to look at who probably isn't getting paid very much. Of course it may be more cynical than that.

Do think it would be good if they got 100% of the prize money though. Most of them are heavily about the money (which I don't blame) so make sure they're properly incentivised if your reducing their flat salary.
 
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hendrix

Hall of Fame Member
Sammy's second letter is either extremely ignorant or extremely greedy.

"For instance, in the 2012 T20 World Cup the lowest paid player was guaranteed US$57,937. The highest was guaranteed US$137,045. Figures were higher in 2014. Players were remunerated based on their experience as well. You said that it was not possible to calculate a percentage to be paid to the players. Can you then inform us of the amount WICB received in the new payment structure from the ICC?

To now be offered just US$6,900 per match across the board irrespective of experience is totally unacceptable. Players are being asked to start providing services from nearly four weeks ahead of the World Cup and be guaranteed just US$27,600 if they play all the guaranteed matches (which) is a staggering reduction."


In response to Muirhead.

"The old hierarchical system of payment meant that the 15 man squad selected for a particular ICC Event received a grossly disproportionate amount of compensation for just that one event, with senior players gaining significantly more only on the basis of having played more international matches, whereas the new system means that 25% of the distributions received from ICC are placed into the player payment pool, from which players at all levels of West Indies Cricket can benefit.

In any event, as stated in my previous email, the WICB no longer receives any money from the ICC which is specifically linked to any one event.

As mentioned in my previous email to you, this information was shared with all players following that process in May last year. Players were given an opportunity to discuss the new structure and no concerns were raised at that time. It is disappointing that you would choose to question the terms now, on the eve of the WT20 in India."
 

Prince EWS

Global Moderator
Players largely at fault this time IMO. It seems that, regardless of what you think about the actual terms of the deal, this deal was agreed to months ago but the players have since decided to go back on it and hold the board to ransom right as a major tournament is set to start. I've usually sided with the players previously because the WICB keeps reneging on its agreements, but that doesn't seem to be the case this time.
 

honestbharani

Whatever it takes!!!
Yep but just hope its not another case of someone like a Wavell Hinds agreeing on their behalf without their approval
 

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