GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday NOVEMBER 12, 2014
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PM Gonsalves proposes ‘grand settlement’ to end cricket crisis
KINGSTOWN, St Vincent (CMC) – St Vincent and the Grenadines Prime Minister, Dr Ralph Gonsalves has written to CARICOM asking the regional body to communicate to the Indian Cricket Board (BCCI) his “grand settlement” proposal, aimed at diffusing the BCCI’s US$42 million compensation claim against the West Indies Cricket Board and ending the full blown crisis. Gonsalves told reporters in Kingstown on Monday that the “grand settlement” included five elements, the first of which was that the WICB settled the internal matter with the “India 14”. He was referring to the West Indies cricketers who prematurely ended their tour of India last month over a pay dispute with WIPA, resulting in the US$42 million claim in losses from the BCCI. Gonsalves has been at the centre of the resolution process, recently chairing a high-level meeting in Port of Spain which included Grenada’s Prime Minister Dr Keith Mitchell, WICB president Dave Cameron, players’ spokesman Dwayne Bravo and WIPA president and chief executive, Wavell Hinds. “All that we agreed on at the Hyatt Hotel in Port-ofSpain on the evening of the 30th of October, I don’t have to go through the details, but settle that (players’ issue) first,” Gonsalves said. The “grand settlement” is also calling for WIPA and
the India 14 “to stop their internecine squabbling and get back on track as one entity in WIPA”. Thirdly, Gonsalves’s proposal is calling “for firm, urgent, practical steps to be taken in the reform of the management and administrative systems of the West Indies Cricket Board.” “The West Indies Cricket Board at the moment is functioning as if it were a private club,” Gonsalves said forcefully. “It needs to be responsible and responsive to the community. These are issues which have been raised in the Patterson Report several years ago and that is the starting point for the reform, otherwise this thing is going to happen again. “I’m not making any criticism here about any individual leader currently inside of the WICB. I think it is clear to everybody that the structures which exist are not appropriate for the administration and management of West Indies cricket. They have to be responsive and responsible to the community.” Gonsalves continued: “WICB doesn’t own any cricket ground. WICB doesn’t own West Indies cricket; the people of the region own it. They (WICB) are custodians with their links to the ICC to organise cricket at the regional level and at international level. There are national associations, but the structure which exists is inadequate for these times
and these circumstances.” The fourth point of Gonsalves’s proposal is that
St Vincent’s Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves
“the WICB and the BCCI must work more closely and collaboratively in the interest of both Indian and West Indian cricket and world cricket.” “And, of course, there are many practical things which we can do together. And once we have those, as the lawyers will say, in those premises, given those four points, the fifth point is that India, in the interest of cricket in Indian and the Caribbean and world cricket, that they simply forgo the claim in the light of what I call this grand settlement,” Gonsalves contended. He said he had copied his letter to CARICOM’s bureau and noted that time was running out on the WICB to avoid a lawsuit. In making its claim of compensation, the BCCI had given the WICB 15 days in
which to outline how it would settle the amount. “Time is of the essence, because on Friday of this week will be the 15th day after the letter from the BCCI to the West Indies Cricket Board making the demand.” Cameron sent a letter to the BCCI on November 7, apologising for the players’ walk-out of the ODI tour and urging them to settle the matter through the ICC Disputes Committee. Gonsalves acknowledged he was aware of the letter. He said, however, Cameron had requested the help of CARICOM at the recent Port of Spain meeting, in approaching the BCCI and the Indian authorities to see if the matter could be resolved. Gonsalves, though, made it clear that he was not asking CARICOM nations to pay the US$42 million bill. “Now, when I said that I’ll be working to help with a resolution, for some strange reason, that metamorphosed that I will take money from the treasury of St. Vincent and the Grenadines and ask other countries to do so. I explicitly said no, that is not on the cards,” Gonsalves stressed. “But because Ralph got involved and he’s playing a leading role in this matter, that what you have to do is to tarnish his role by going to an absorb position and to sell that to the region, where some news agencies believe that I said so, when I never said so.”
AWOL Darren Bravo left out of T&T squad for opening matches PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad (CMC) – Chairman of selectors Alec Burns says West Indies left-hander Darren Bravo was left out of Trinidad and Tobago’s squad for the two opening matches of the WICB Professional Cricket League, because of his failure to make himself available to cricket authorities here. Burns told the Trinidad Express newspaper repeated attempts were made to reach the dashing left-hander but calls to his mobile went unanswered. The player had been expected to attend a scheduled meeting with the Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board but he never turned up. “We never included him
because he never turned up ... nobody knows about Darren Bravo at this stage what his status is,” Burns said. “He never turned up; there was no communication from Darren Bravo. There was a pre-arranged meeting that he agreed to attend he never attended. At least my information is he never attended. “He never called to say what is the position or whatever and that is the most we know about Darren Bravo so far.” Bravo is one of the leading national batsmen, averaging nearly 40 in first class cricket and 43 in 32 Tests. He was one of the Windies players who walked off the tour of India in a row with the West Indies Players Association over the terms
Darren Bravo is out of the T&T squad for the first two rounds of matches of newly signed player contracts. His older brother, Dwayne Bravo, also the West Indies ODI captain, was spokesman for the aggrieved players. He is currently playing professional T20
cricket in South Africa and will also miss T&T’s first class commitments. West Indies Test captain Denesh Ramdin, who has claimed victimisation after being overlooked for the post of national skipper, has been selected in the squad which will be led by experienced all-rounder Rayad Emrit. Jason Mohammed will serve as vice-captain. T&T face Barbados on Friday at Queen’s Park Oval in the opening round of matches. SQUAD – Rayad Emrit (captain), Jason Mohammed, Evin Lewis, Lendl Simmons, Yannick Ottley, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Denesh Ramdin, Akeal Hosein, Imran Khan, Shannon Gabriel, Marlon Richards, Bryan Charles, Yannic Cariah.
Windies lose ODI opener despite Taylor’s brilliant 95 SYDNEY, Australia – Stylish right-hander Stafanie Taylor narrowly missed out on her sixth One-Day International hundred when she carved out a brilliant 95, but West Indies Women could not capitalise and went down by three wickets to Australia Women in the opening game of the ICC Women’s Championship here yesterday. Sent in at Hurstville Oval, West Indies rallied to 240 for eight off their 50 overs, with Player-ofthe-Match Taylor leading the way in an innings that required 102 balls and included 12 boundaries. Sixteen-year-old Barbadian Hayley Matthews chipped in with 55 on debut while freescoring Deandra Dottin scored 24. West Indies looked good bets to get well beyond their eventual score when they cruised at 201 for two in the 40th over. However, once Taylor perished in the 40th over, the West Indies innings fell away badly as the Caribbean side lost six wickets for 27 runs off just 55 balls. Off-spinner Erin Osborne was the best bowler with three for 43 while leg-spinner Kristen Beams supported with two for 32. In reply, the hosts coasted to their target with three balls left, with captain Meg Lanning missing out on a century with 95 while Nicole Bolton (59) and Ellyse Perry (53) supported with half-centuries. Left-armer Shanel Daley picked up two for 38, off-spinner Anisa Mohammed took two for 39 while Taylor chimed in with two for 45 with her off-spin. Australia were cantering at 217 for two in the 44th over and seemingly en route to an easy win before five wickets tumbled in the space of 32 deliveries, to set up a tense finish. Earlier, West Indies were lifted by the superb Taylor who extended her wonderful form from
the preceding Twenty20 series which the Caribbean side lost 4-0. She came to the crease after West Indies lost opener Kycia Knight for 14 with the score on 18 at the end of the third over, and proceeded to repair the innings with two key partnerships. Firstly, she added 109 for the second wicket with the right-handed Matthews whose halfcentury knock came from 86 balls and included six fours. When Matthews fell to Beams in the 27th over, Taylor anchored a third-wicket stand of 74 with Dottin who was unusually sedate in her 40-ball knock with three boundaries. West Indies then struck early, seamer Tremayne Smartt claiming Elyse Villani for four with the Aussies having reached 12 for one in the third over. However, Lanning underpinned two successive partnerships, to wrench the game away from West Indies. The right-hander punched nine fours off 107 balls, putting on exactly 100 for the second wicket with opener Bolton who was steady in a 78-ball innings with six fours. When Bolton fell in the 23rd over, Lanning and Perry posted another 105 for the third wicket, with Perry getting four fours in his 73-ball knock. Taylor then intervened, prising out Lanning and Perry in successive overs to leave the Aussies on 220 for four in the 46th over and when Mohammed accounted for Alex Blackwell for two in the next over, the hosts were wobbling. Daley knocked over Alyssa Healy (14) and Jess Jonassen (3) in the penultimate over, as West Indies scented a sensational come-frombehind win. Requiring just two runs from the final over, the hosts easily got the runs needed, with Taylor sending down a wide to hand the Aussies victory and a 1-0 lead in the series.