The Hindu : Sport / Cricket : Only three West Indies players sign contracts

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Friday, Jun 24, 2005

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Only three West Indies players sign contracts

PORT-OF-SPAIN: Only three of the 13 invited players met a deadline to sign contracts for the West Indies' tour of Sri Lanka next month, leaving the trip in doubt over an ongoing dispute about players' endorsements, a source in the West Indies Cricket Board said on Wednesday.

The Board could use the three signed players plus a West Indies `A' team already in Sri Lanka, on a development visit, to meet obligations for the tour.

West Indies is scheduled to play two Tests — Colombo (July 14-18) and Kandy (July 22-26) — prior to the triangular one-day tournament in which it will play Sri Lanka and India twice. The final will be held in Colombo, on August 14.

On Sunday, the Board issued invitations to 13 players and asked them to sign by Tuesday, saying it acted after talks with the West Indies Players' Association ``broke down.''

The dispute has been simmering for months since the Board signed a multi-million dollar long-term contract to be sponsored by the Irish-based company Digicel.

The Caribbean Community then appointed a judge who ruled that the players have the right to enter into personal endorsement contracts. Players are now refusing to sign in the hope that the Board will again have to turn to the judge, and that he will again rule in their favour.

The invited players are Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Ian Bradshaw, Dwayne Bravo, Pedro Collins, Corey Collymore, Fidel Edwards, Chris Gayle, Wavell Hinds, Brian Lara, Daren Powell, Denesh Ramdin, Ramnaresh Sarwan and Devon Smith. — AP

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