WICB, players reach new salary agreement

Cricket365
September 19, 2014

The West Indies Cricket Board and the region's players' association, WIPA, have come to a financial agreement after a two-year discussion, guaranteeing proper salaries for franchise players.

Salary disputes and strikes have blighted West Indies cricket in recent years, with top players like Chris Gayle refusing to play at one point, but now a deal has been struck to balance out salary inconsistencies.

WICB boss Whycliffe Cameron explained the new deal: "What it means is that we are going to have 105 players engaged in cricket all year round.

"We are going to have 15 at the WICB level – which I will call the international team, while we will have 90 players at the regional franchise level – 15 players among the six teams.

"This is a watershed moment for West Indies cricket as we are setting up our franchise and professional system to ensure that West Indies cricket can go back to its rightful place. West Indies cricket is not about the administrators, it is really about the players.

"I am very happy that we have been able to negotiate over the last couple of months when it was very difficult but we have come to the point where we believe we have the making of a very good agreement that will ensure that we can take West Indies cricket to the top.

"The agreement is we do better as an organisation and the players do better."

WIPA chief Wavell Hinds then explained the major change, where domestic players now got a larger share of the profits, whereas most money previously went to the international players and administrators.

He said: "We have decided as a body, that we will take a chunk of that amount from the international pool and spread it across the regional group into the player pool on a meritocracy basis.

"I think it is spread out nicely… This document covers everyone in full. It is important that we put the different categories in place from the start to the professional level.

"There is a pay-as-you-play or a minimum salary, retainer contracts up to the 'A' level that the WICB affords the international cricketers. But we think that it must be a meritocracy basis and that you have to earn your keep to get into the different categories.

"As the players association, once that was understood from the membership and of course, we highlighted the fact that it is replicated and practised around the world, the players bought into it and the WICB had a similar vision, so it was easy to come to an agreement."