West Indies pull out of India tour

Photo: West Indies ODI captain, Dwayne Bravo

The West Indies tour of India has come to an abrupt end, with the news coming Thursday via the BCCI saying West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) announced a replacement tour after the current players in the tour have withdrawn their services for the remainder of the tour.

This is due to recent disagreement between the West Indies Players Association (WIPA) head and its players over a MOU signed on behalf of the players for new financial arrangement..

This did not go down well with the current players on the tour led by Captain Dwayne Bravo. He, through a letter, asked the WICB that its desire to have WIPA President, Wavell Hinds and the other officials tender their resignations. This was rejected by the WICB. This is also believed to have contributed to the players deciding to withdraw their services.

The WICB initially released a statement saying it had not called off the tour, but following a meeting after the fourth ODI in Dharamsala, it clarified that it was “left no option” by the West Indies players.

The BCCI released a news cast saying “They (West Indies) have withdrawn their team and this [development] has come abruptly. We received an email from Richie Richardson, the West Indies team manager”.

At the end of the of Thursday’s four fourth one day game, where the Indians came out victors, West Indies captain Dwayne Bravo expressed his commendations for his players and also to the Indians but in the same breathe expressed his regret and apologies that this would be the final game on Indian soil for 2014.

Following news of West Indies’ pullout emerged mid-way through the first innings, the BCCI said it was “shocked and disappointed” that the decision to abandon the tour had been “taken by the WICB”, and that India would now play five ODIs against Sri Lanka between November 1 and 15, after Sri Lanka Cricket accepted the invitation to fill the void.

BCCI secretary Sanjay Patel also said the board was contemplating legal action against the WICB.

The touring side was scheduled to play a fifth ODI, one Twenty20 international and three Tests after the Dharamsala one-dayer.