After the Windies clinched the under 19 World Cup, fans won't be disappointed with the national side as the issue between the board and has been resolved. The issue fixed meant that the Windies no longer have to field a second string side at the WT20. West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) had given the players a deadline of Sunday to agree to the financial terms, which represented a sharp drop in pay compared to previous tournaments, or they would be replaced.
After a week of claim and counterclaim, with plenty of recriminations on both sides, only batsman Darren Bravo declined to take up the offer. "The West Indies Cricket Board is in receipt of 12 signed contracts from players who were selected for the upcoming 2016 ICC World Twenty20 tournament," the WICB said in a news release on Sunday.
The Windies have won this format previously and have many members who were part of that win. They have some explosive players, one of them being Chris Gayle, considered among the best in this format. The WICB said that Bravo had written to them saying he would be skipping the tournament to play in the regional four-day Professional Cricket League.
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I'm of the firm belief that I have a very big part to play in the resurgence of West Indies cricket in the longer formats of the game." "I will like the opportunity to play in our Professional Cricket League (PCL) because it will put me in good stead and will allow me to achieve those goals that I have aligned myself for the year 2016 and beyond.
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they quoted the 27-year-old lefthander as saying.
The board has not yet come to a conclusion on the replacement for Darren Bravo. Kieron Pollard who is suffering a knee injury and ace spinner Narine who is having trouble with his bowling action were originally part of the 15-man squad. Carlos Brathwaite had already been named a replacement for Pollard, while the WICB on Sunday said that Ashley Nurse would come into the squad in place of Narine.
The long stand off between the players and the WICB dates back from that tour of India in 2014 which sparked off from a problem over the payment structure. Windies T20 captain Darren Sammy has many a time made his plea felt in a letter to the board. He has requested mediation to settle the dispite over the remuneration package by the West Indies Players Association (WIPA).
Sammy had asked the WICB to consider their request to double the match fees of $6,900, share 50 percent of sponsorship fees and award 100 percent of prize money to players.
Squad - Sulieman Benn, Jason Holder, Andre Fletcher, Darren Sammy (c), Dwayne Bravo, Samuel Badree, Lendl Simmons, Jerome Taylor, Andre Russell, Marlon Samuels, Denesh Ramdin(wk), Chris Gayle, Ashley Nurse and Carlos Brathwaite.