West Indies Pulls Out Of Cricket Tour Of India After Pay Dispute, Future For West Indies Uncertain

The West Indies cricket tour of India came to an abrupt end after the long payment structure dispute between the West Indies players and management boiled over, and some believe it could be very costly to the future of cricket in the West Indies.

The teams were set to play a five ODI series, but it was called off late this week with just three games completed and India holding a 2-1 lead. India was declared the winner of the series, though Indian captain MS Dhoni received no trophy at the presentation ceremony.

“They have withdrawn their team and this [development] has come abruptly. We received an email from Richie Richardson, the West Indies team manager, only this [Friday] morning,” Board of Control for Cricket in India secretary Sanjay Patel told ESPNcricnfo.

West Indies was scheduled to play a fifth ODI along with a Twenty20 international and three Tests. The abrupt end to the series was troublesome, the BCCI said.

“The WICB’s inability to resolve internal issues with its players and allowing the same to affect an ongoing bilateral series does not reflect well on any of those involved,” the BCCI said in a statement.

The board added that the withdrawal had “given little thought to the future of the game, the players and the long standing relations between the BCCI and WICB.”

“This is a unilateral decision taken by the WICB and its players, in spite of several appeals to the WICB to honour its commitment and complete the series,” the group said.

The West Indies team had threatened to pull out even before the tour started, with players threatening to strike if pay issues were not resolved.

Now the Board of Control for Cricket in India is reportedly preparing to take action, claiming damages of $65 million over lost earnings from the canceled tour. Many believe this action and the large financial penalty could cripple West Indies’ ability to compete internationally in the future.

“It will be very difficult to play West Indies in bilateral series in future,” BCCI secretary Sanjay Patel told Reuters. “They have to demonstrate the willingness that such situations never happen again. I would say that India’s next tour of West Indies is highly unlikely to go ahead in the current situation.”

[Image via TheHindu.com]