-gov’t hints at legal action
The national cricket team is out and the West Indies ‘B’ team is in after the government and the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) failed to see eye to eye resulting in the regional entity moving ahead last evening with arrangements to replace Guyana’s Amazon Conquerors in the regional T20 competition.
Government ministers here hinted at legal action should the Guyana team not be allowed to participate in the popular tournament and did not respond to conditions set out by the WICB to allow for the inclusion of the national team. Amidst a heated row over the management of local cricket, the WICB in a press release last evening said it had asked the government here to enable the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) to complete the process of fielding a team for the T20 tournament starting in Antigua on Monday.
Government has installed an Interim Management Committee to run cricket in Guyana and has derecognized the GCB, padlocking its office as part of the restructuring. The GCB – still recognized by the WICB – has since written the WICB saying it is now unable to field a team because of the actions of the Guyana government.
With just over 72 hours to go before the Caribbean Twenty20 cricket tournament bowls off, the WICB in its press release said it had urged the Guyana government to allow the GCB to field a team barring which a West Indies ‘B’ team will replace Guyana in the tournament.
A WICB source who spoke to this newspaper last evening, disclosed that the board had given the Ministry of Sports up to the end of work time yesterday to respond to the board, but none arrived. Therefore the board has gone ahead in putting measures in place to replace Guyana with a West Indies “B” team, the source said.
In its press release, the WICB said that it had informed Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports, Dr. Frank Anthony that it is in receipt of official correspondence from the GCB indicating that the board cannot field a team for the Caribbean Twenty20 as a result of the logistical and administrative challenges imposed upon it by the Guyana government.
The WICB said it reiterated to the Minister that the Guyana team can only be provided by the authorized body for the governance of cricket in Guyana – the GCB – and not by any other entity.
Implored
“The WICB implored the Government of Guyana to allow the GCB to access its offices and resources to allow it to be able to complete the process of fielding the Guyana team for the Caribbean Twenty20,” the release said. “Should the GCB continue to be in a position whereupon it is unable to provide a team for the Caribbean Twenty20 the WICB will: Replace the Guyana team with a West Indies B Team (and) provide match payment to all players selected to the Guyana squad (who are not selected to the West Indies B Team) as per the squad submitted to the WICB by the GCB,” the release stated.
“These actions are proposed in an effort to protect, as far as is reasonable, the best interest of the selected Guyanese players so that they are not adversely affected financially from possible non-participation in the Caribbean Twenty20,” the WICB stated. It said that the West Indies ‘B’ Team will include players selected on the Guyana squad who have represented the West Indies or who are under consideration for future selection.
In a letter to the WICB on Wednesday, Anthony suggested that the IMC would provide a team to participate in the Caribbean Twenty20. Anthony had explained the reasons for the setting up of the IMC and said that members of the former GCB had indicated that a Guyanese team has already been selected to participate in the T20 competition and the necessary arrangements have already been put in place for the Guyana’s team participation. He urged that the WICB confirm by 4pm yesterday that the Guyana team as previously selected will participate. The WICB responded by setting out the conditions which the Ministry did not respond to.
“While we hope to avoid court intervention to prevent any breach of any applicable agreements or the suspension of the tournament by, inter alia, government refusal to the use of the various cricket stadiums throughout the region, if pressed we shall have no choice but to act,” Anthony stated in his letter.
Minister of Legal Affairs and Attorney-General Anil Nandlall yesterday also told the Government Information Agency (GINA) that players on the Guyana team have independent contracts with the WICB to play in the competition. “So if they are not allowed to play in this competition, then serious contractual, legal issues will arise, because the WICB in my view, would be in breach of their contractual obligations to these players,” GINA quoted Nandlall as saying. But the WICB said it will provide match payment to all players selected to the Guyana squad (who are not selected to the West Indies B Team) as per the squad submitted to the WICB by the GCB.
