The Hindu : Sport / Cricket : Grenada PM's effort to resolve contract row

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Monday, Mar 07, 2005

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Grenada PM's effort to resolve contract row

BRIDGETOWN, MARCH 6. Grenada's Prime Minister, Mr. Keith Mitchell, called a meeting for Monday in an effort to resolve a contract dispute that would prevent top players, including Brian Lara and others, from playing in the home series against South Africa and Pakistan.

Saturday's announcement by Mr. Mitchell came a day after the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) said that Lara, Chris Gayle, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Dwayne Bravo, Fidel Edwards, Ravi Rampaul and Dwayne Smith would be not considered for selection because of their existing personal sponsorship contracts with Cable and Wireless, a competitor of the board's title sponsor, Digicel.

Meanwhile the WICB in a statement said the board was unaware of Monday's meeting and has named a 22-squad for a six-day camp in Barbados starting March 23 the does not include the above players.

The board named players headed by Shivnarine Chanderpaul, vice captain to Lara in the recent Australia series. Called by selectors for the first time are opening batsman Ryan Ramdass of Guyana, being rewarded for a prolific regional Carib Beer Series in which he scored three centuries; and Jamaican Donovan Pagon, who performed consistently well in the regional series.

Two surprise omissions are veteran fast bowler Mervyn Dillon and batsman Marlon Samuels, who both toured Australia.

Monday's meeting in Grenada will bring together WICB President Teddy Griffith, West Indies Players Association President Dinanath Ramnarine, and officials from both Cable and Wireless and Digicel, Mitchell said in a radio interview broadcast on a number of stations in the region, including the Caribbean Broadcasting Corp.

``There are some reasonable proposals put forward, so that can lead to some kind of compromise solution,'' said Mitchell, who is chairman of the Caribbean Community's subcommittee on cricket. ``There must be give and take on the part of everyone concerned.''

``Teddy's statement was premature,'' Mitchell said Saturday in an interview with the Caribbean Broadcasting Corp. ``He was aware that we were making progress ... and he assured me he won't do or say anything to jeopardise the process. All is not lost,'' Mitchell added. ``I'm very hopeful of a resolution by Monday.''

On Friday, Griffith took to radio and television to state the WICB's position that in effect would bar Lara and the others, continuing a dispute on the most controversial issue which has plagued the region's cricket for four months.

He said the board instructed its selectors to choose a squad of 25 to 30 in preparation for the series and would issue invitations to the players, who will be required to respond by March 11.

A similar scenario unfolded before the January tour of Australia, and 16 of the 25 invited players failed to sign the invitation, on advice from the West Indies Players Association.

The tour was almost aborted and only saved through a last-minute intervention by Mitchell.

The WICB required that players not endorse a company that was in conflict with one of the board's sponsors. The dispute was resolved through binding arbitration.

Griffith's statement again put forward the possibility of a series under threat. Three days after the March 11 deadline, the board will decide whether the tours will proceed.

The tours by South Africa in April-May and Pakistan in May-June are the first home series under Digicel's five-year, $20 million deal, and Griffith said the WICB cannot risk breaching its contract with its new sponsor.

Cable and Wireless has assured its sponsorship contracts with the players were legal, but offered to make concessions to avoid jeopardising the South Africa and Pakistan tour.

Griffith's 4,000-word statement also outlined the vast gulf between the WICB and WIPA over financial terms for retainer contracts, which have been under negotiation for the past four months.

The squad named on Saturday: Devon Smith, Wavell Hinds, Xavier Marshall, Ryan Ramdass, Daren Ganga, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Ryan Hinds, Narsingh Deonarine, Darren Sammy, Donavon Pagon, Courtney Browne, Denesh Ramdin, Carlton Baugh Jr., Ian Bradshaw, Dave Mohammed, Pedro Collins, Corey Collymore, Dwight Washington, Reon King, Darren Powell, Jerome Taylor, Tino Best. — AP

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