The worst fears of West Indies cricket have come true.
After their players decided to pull out of the India tour mid way, there was no doubt in anyone’s mind that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) was going to move heaven and earth in order to make the West Indies board pay.
The Indian cricket officials moved swiftly to cancel all bilateral ties with the Caribbean board. The BCCI are also about to initiate legal proceedings as they seek damages for the $65million loss they are said to have incurred following the tour cancellation.
The Indian cricket board doesn’t have many fans in world cricket and they are accused of being obsessed with money. But in this instance, they deserve to get every dollar that they seek.
An example has to be set so that no team takes such a decision ever again. If the West Indies thought paying for the damages is going to be a tough task, the thought of not having any bilateral series against India must have sent shivers down their spine.
According to previous agreement, the Indians were expected to play five series against the West Indies in the next eight years, with as many as four visits to the Caribbean. As things stand, they can say goodbye to their future earnings, running into tens of millions of dollars.
To say the West Indies board are in trouble would be the understatement of the year. Not only are they facing deep financial turmoil, they might have to contend with a mass exodus of star players, if the impasse between them and the players continues and India go ahead with their legal case.
Before the Caribbean players went ahead with their series withdrawal, they had sought assurances from the Indian board that their Indian Premier League contract won’t suffer because of their planned move. Once their fears were allayed, the players prepared for their internal battle.
For those who are wondering why the BCCI is acting against the West Indies board but is silent on the players, the reason is simple – the franchisees call the shots in the IPL and the West Indies players are the stars who draw in the crowds with the likes of Chris Gayle, Dwayne Bravo, Dwayne Smith and Sunil Narine being integral members of their respective teams.
The IPL simply can’t abandon the Caribbean stars.
In the present circumstance, the West Indies can’t pay their players what they deserve. So the cricketers will look to earn their dollars at the various T20 tournaments across the world – like the IPL and the Big Bash League. These require a No-Objection Certificate from the parent board and since the WICB are in no mood to oblige the players, the latter will be left with no option but to retire from international cricket and become free agents.
That would mean around seven to eight first team players could call it quits and move to the one place where their finances are secure – the IPL.
All the progress made by them, especially since their 2012 World T20 win – would sadly go down the drain.
West Indies cricket is in danger of regressing a decade and unfortunately it’s the cricketing structure that will suffer the most.
The players will continue to strut their stuff in T20 leagues and second string players will get to represent their nation in international matches. And Windies cricket will cease to exists they way we know it.
