Dire straits for Windies cricket

[roseboy64]

I don't really understand the reasoning behind the sponsordhip with Digicel.As it works out C&W's offer in the long run would have meant more money.C&W offered 3.5 mil for home series while Digicel offered 4 mil for home and away series.Also, I'm not sure C&W were given a chance to counter Digicel's last offer which meant that the WICB just cast them out.At least that's what I heard.

 

[marc71178]

How so?

Just the odd minor like treating players properly and paying their worth.

Also things like the coloured clothing, the white ball, the day night game.

Where would Cricket be today without them?

 

[Don]

this issue simply comes down to this the WICB has put a price on west indies cricket and it 20 million dollars.they have sold out the game and the players and then they wonder of the state of youth cricket.Why why the hell would youths want to play for a board bullied team.Where the individual is valued alot less and sacrificed for a check.

 

[garage flower]

I wouldn't grant sainthood to WIPA though. They're currently asking for a sizeable pay increase which would say top players earning over 500,000 US for a full year of cricket. The WICB simply cannot afford that.

None of the parties in the dispute are entirely blameless, but compared to retainer contracts offered by other nations, WIPA's demands don't seem to be unreasonable. Once again, the real issue is why the WICB can't afford to come anywhere close to WIPA's position. I find it incredible that they're constituted in such a way that they don't have to publish their accounts.

 

[Marius]

If the likes of Gayle, Lara, Sarwan and Bravo don't play then all SA and Pak need to do to win the two series later this year is basically turn up I reckon. Its a sad day for cricket when rubbish like this interferes in the game.

 

[mavric41]

I've got a question. If the WIndies were disbanded, are any of the islands (countries) strong enough to field a team as a Test nation? I know very little about where the players originate from. Could they field a team which could challenge the likes of Zimbabwe or Bangladesh? Could we see Antigua or Barbados rise as a test nation or will cricket in the WIndies die out all together?

 

[chris.hinton]

Just the odd minor like treating players properly and paying their worth.

Also things like the coloured clothing, the white ball, the day night game.

Where would Cricket be today without them?

agreed

 

[Mr Mxyzptlk]

I've got a question. If the WIndies were disbanded, are any of the islands (countries) strong enough to field a team as a Test nation? I know very little about where the players originate from. Could they field a team which could challenge the likes of Zimbabwe or Bangladesh? Could we see Antigua or Barbados rise as a test nation or will cricket in the WIndies die out all together?

Antigua certainly not! Antingua composes a combined team called the Leeward Islands. Barbados would need to get the batting in order, but the bowling attack is potentially the best in the region.

Jamaica would beat Bangladesh and Zimbabwe 60 times out of 100 I'd say.

 

[Mr Mxyzptlk]

None of the parties in the dispute are entirely blameless, but compared to retainer contracts offered by other nations, WIPA's demands don't seem to be unreasonable. Once again, the real issue is why the WICB can't afford to come anywhere close to WIPA's position. I find it incredible that they're constituted in such a way that they don't have to publish their accounts.

West Indies cricket is not Australian cricket. There's a big difference in financial income that does not allow salaries the likes of Australia or England to be paid to our players. One key reason is that people simply don't turn out to the cricket.

 

[mavric41]

Antigua certainly not! Antingua composes a combined team called the Leeward Islands. Barbados would need to get the batting in order, but the bowling attack is potentially the best in the region.

Jamaica would beat Bangladesh and Zimbabwe 60 times out of 100 I'd say.

As I said, I had no idea. I was looking for your expert opinion. Could you forsee what I said happening?

 

[Mr Mxyzptlk]

I hope not. I sincerely do. Cricket is the most prominent unifying force in the Caribbean and essential in that regard.

 

[garage flower]

West Indies cricket is not Australian cricket. There's a big difference in financial income that does not allow salaries the likes of Australia or England to be paid to our players. One key reason is that people simply don't turn out to the cricket.

I realise that it's not as simple as comparing the % of total Board expenditure WIPA are asking for to the % paid by other Boards (as far as I can gather, WIPA's proposed package is lower and contains more - i.e. all, not just the basic retainer - potential payments). One would have to look at wider economic and socio-economic factors; for example, are cricket-related transport/travel costs proportionately higher in the Caribbean, given it's geography.

However, if WIPA's proposal would account for, from memory, 19% of WICB's expenditure and this - apparently - isn't feasible, aren't all stakeholders in West Indies cricket entitled to ask what the remaining 81% is being spent on and why - without the burden of retainer contracts - the Board has managed to run itself into such crippling debt?

Of course, this is a separate issue that has only been brought into the whole sponsorship saga because Teddy Griffith published the figures in his speech in order, I assume, to garner public sympathy for the Board and portray the players as money-grabbers.

The problem is that, having gone public and taken the pre-emptive step of excluding the C&W players, the Board will now be extremely reluctant to back down and lose face without winning significant concessions, either on the sponsorship or retainer contract issues.

 

[garage flower]

As I said, I had no idea. I was looking for your expert opinion. Could you forsee what I said happening?

Apart from the fact that individual Caribbean countries wouldn't be competitive against genuine test-playing nations, I don't see how that solution would solve the current problem(s). Couldn't the same conflicts arise between major sponsors of the boards concerned and those of individual players?

 

[Richard]

It hardly decimated England - at least not on remotely the scale of the Aus lineup.

No, of course not as badly as Australia - but we lost Greig, Knott and Underwood, and that's only the ones I'm aware of. If that's not a sizable chunk of the side, what would have been?

Nor did it particularly revitalise the game, which quite clearly was not dying a death around 1976/77. If anything, it was on the up, with terrific and attractive Aus, WI & Pakistan sides in the ascendancy. Maybe the extra money has helped continue to attract players to the game though....
...Which fans are you talkng about? The game was on the up in Australia after their huge wins in 1974/5 and 1975/6. Over here, it became increasingly popular when Botham arrived, also nothing to do with Packer. Elsewhere it was doing fine, as far as I am aware.

Wow, that's interesting, a perspective I've never come across before. Almost everyone seems to insist that Packer did the game a real service. Personally I've just always said that IF he did, someone else could have done it without causing such damage in doing so.

 

[Richard]

Also, Digicel's representatives are obviously w@nkers. The players association had multiple examples of Digicel making constant demands of players for which no contractual obligations existed.

Err - name some corporate partners that are not?
(YES, EXAGGERATION, but how often to we see this sort of thing?)

 

[Richard]

Just the odd minor like treating players properly and paying their worth.

Also things like the coloured clothing, the white ball, the day night game.

Where would Cricket be today without them?

Almost certainly in exactly the same position.
You really think no-one else would have come-up with these ideas?

 

[marc71178]

Nobody had up to then...

 

[Richard]

I wonder why.
Perhaps because it actually wasn't neccesary.

 

[Slow Love™]

Tim May has thrown his 2 cents in on the issue.

http://aus.cricinfo.com/link_to_database/ARCHIVE/CRICKET_NEWS/2005/MAR/203097_WI_11MAR2005.html

He touches upon the most important issue which many have overlooked - aside from debating the logistics of this contractual nightmare, the question has to been asked - regardless of the positions of the parties involved, DOES the WICB have the right to discriminate as to who gets selected based on their endorsement arrangements anyway?

 

[Swervy]

No, of course not as badly as Australia - but we lost Greig, Knott and Underwood, and that's only the ones I'm aware of. If that's not a sizable chunk of the side, what would have been?

Wow, that's interesting, a perspective I've never come across before. Almost everyone seems to insist that Packer did the game a real service. Personally I've just always said that IF he did, someone else could have done it without causing such damage in doing so.

yes someone could have done it without the disruption etc..but no one did...why talk about IF's.

Sometimes things need a good kick up the ****, he provided it,and I am sure 99.9% of players since then are pretty chuffed it did happen