CANBERRA, Australia, CMC – West Indies Women’s team management say their side will not be distracted by the storm of controversy surround their male counterparts.
The Windies women arrived here last week to face hosts Australia Women in a bilateral series, even as West Indies men’s one-day side took the unprecedented step of abandoning their tour of India over a pay dispute with their union, WIPA.
However, captain Merissa Aguilleira said while her team were aware of the issues, they were remaining focused on their upcoming matches.
“We’ve been following it, it’s been hard, but we don’t want it to be distracting us. We came here to represent the West Indies and we want to make sure our fans aren’t disappointed,” Aguilleira said.
“We’re here to play cricket, that’s our focus. I really wish the guys good luck and I know they’re going through a tough time right now.”
West Indies men walked out on the tour of India last Friday following the fourth One-Day International in Dharamsala, upset over new contracts they have claimed would result in a drastic reduction in their earnings.
The move sparked an angry response from the Indian Cricket Board (BCCI) who have since announced they would sue the West Indies Cricket Board for losses and also suspend future bilateral series with West Indies.
Women’s coach Sherwin Campbell said he hoped the issue could be resolved amicably but stressed that his side would not be affected by those developments.
“We are separate teams and separate tours and we are focused on that,” said Campbell, a former West Indies vice-captain who played 52 Tests.
“You don’t want to see teams not being able to go to events, so hopefully they can resolve the issue as quickly as possible.”
West Indies Women face Australia Women in four Twenty20 internationals and four ODIs starting November 2.
