The Hindu : Sport : A tour robbed of competitive charm

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Jul 13, 2005

Sport

Sport

A tour robbed of competitive charm

S. Dinakar

Chennai: In Sri Lanka's 150th Test, Muttiah Muralitharan will not be matching skills with Brian Lara. The contest between the off-spin wizard and the Caribbean genius would have added lustre to the occasion, but this duel under the sun will not happen, at least this time around. Sadly, the dispute over contracts and sponsorship payments has left the West Indies with a depleted side.

The sight of Muralitharan, returning from a shoulder injury, bowling to an in-form Lara, would have raised the contest to a rarefied level. Now, a second string West Indian side has the demanding task of countering the Lankan's prodigious spin and wiles.

In Shivnarine Chanderpaul's inexperienced side eight members of the West Indian `A' side on a tour of Sri Lanka had to be roped in, and only two of them — Kerry Jeremy and Tino Best — initially agreed to be a part of the senior side. Six other `A' side players were subsequently drafted in amid accusation by `A' team skipper Darren Ganga of his men "being put under pressure" by the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB).

The WICB, which had sent its representative to the emerald isle, swiftly denied the allegations and maintained that guarantee sponsorship money of $1,50,000, as demanded by the West Indies Players' Association (WIPA), was beyond its reach.

The question to be asked is: Are commercial interests eating into the very foundation of the game where the cricketers are ruled by the dynamics of market forces rather than form and performance. Former West Indies pace bowling great Curtly Ambrose, in strong words, has said that the present Caribbean cricketers did not deserve a pay hike.

West Indies, unable to cash in on the momentum of a famous triumph in the ICC Champions Trophy last September, would in all likelihood field a weakened team for the Indian Oil tri-series beginning in Sri Lanka on July 30, which could rob the tournament of competitive charm. Caribbean cricket is at a crossroads.

Heart of the issue

The heart of the issue is the five-year contract between WICB and the Irish Mobile Telephone giant Digicel, worth approximately $20 million. WIPA objected to a clause in the contract, which it felt failed to recognise the players' personal endorsement rights.

And a clutter of the West Indies stars, including the biggest of them, Lara, had been signed up by British firm Cable & Wireless, Digicel's principal competitor. Clearly, the stakes were high for the Board and the players.

Lara entered into a contract with C&W in 2002 — this was the period when C&W was also the team sponsor — and it was renewed last July.

Chris Gayle and Ramnaresh Sarwan, other influential cricketers in the West Indian team, were also tied up with C&W.

Things flared up ahead of West Indies' tour of Australia last season for the V.B. Triangular series and 18 of the 25 selected cricketers did not turn up at the three-week training camp before the campaign.

The WIPA had directed these cricketers not to attend the camp. Its president, Dinanath Ramnarine, a former Test leg-spinner, in his interactions with the Board, was firm that player interests should be protected.

Finally, a full strength West Indian side journeyed down under, but only after the intervention of the Grenada Prime Minister, Keith Mitchell, a respected off-spinner during his playing days.

Mr. Mitchell appointed Justice Adrian Saunders as the arbitrator, and a compromise, that proved temporary in nature, was arrived at. The simmering issue of `ambush marketing' raised its head again. And, ahead of South Africa's tour of the Caribbean this year, the face-off between WICB and WIPA reached a flashpoint as the cricketers were caught in a bitter sponsorship battle between two multinational firms.

Lara lost his captaincy to Chanderpaul, refused an invitation to join the team for the first Test in Georgetown, and along with six other C&W men, did not take the field for the first Test. Subsequently, a temporary solution was reached and Lara, Sarwan, Gayle & Co. were picked for the subsequent three Tests.

With the World Cup to be held in the Caribbean in 2007, the issue has serious ramifications. It is worth remembering that the World Cup 2003 and Champions Trophy 2002 were almost rocked by contractual disputes between the players and the Board. The administrators and the players have a responsibility ahead of them — the game is supreme.

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