WICB task force reports

ALL OF THE PARTIES involved in the abandoned West Indies tour of India have to shoulder some of the blame.

That was one of the conclusions reached by the three-man Task Force appointed by the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) to investigate the abrupt end to the failed tour which began on October 8 and ended some nine days later.

The trio, comprising Chairman Michael Gordon QC, Sir Wes Hall and Sir Richard Cheltenham QC, said although the WICB and West Indies Players Association (WIPA) can’t be accused of acting in bad faith “they both erred significantly in failing to ensure that their vision for the future of West Indies Cricket with its ramifications for the sharing of sponsorship money and the concomitant changes in the level of remuneration for both the senior cricketers and the new class of professional players was clearly understood and the vision shared”.

The players, especially the senior players, were also not exempt from blame. The Task Force concluded they brought the tour to a premature end without waiting the four additional days for WICB president Dave Cameron and WIPA president Wavell Hinds to come to India.

“Senior players in any overseas squad bear a great responsibility to set standards and create examples for the more junior players to follow. This, the Task Force felt, the senior players failed to do,” the report said.

It also made several recommendations.

The report was tabled on Saturday in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, where the WICB Board of Directors met to deliberate several issues.

Click this link to read the full report. WICB Task Force Report. (PR/SAT)