The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Tuesday came down hard on the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB), suspending all bilateral ties and deciding to initiate legal proceedings against WICB for pulling out mid-way through the tour of India.
The West Indies team decided to fly back home after the fourth ODI of the series over a pay dispute with WICB – with on ODI, a one-off T20 and three Tests left to be played.
Hours after the West Indies pulled out of the tour, the BCCI approached the Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) and quickly cobbled up a five-match ODI series to be played from November 1 to 14. The Indian board also confirmed the venues for the the Sri Lanka series during this meeting. The venues for the 5 ODIs against Sri Lanka will be Cuttack, Hyderabad, Ranchi, Kolkata and Ahmedabad.
BCCI also selected team for the first three ODIs against Sri Lanka as well as a team for the for a practice match against the visitors.
“BCCI will initiate legal proceedings against West Indies Cricket Board due to the abrupt cancellation of this tour. All Bilateral tours between BCCI and WICB stand suspended,” BCCI Secretary Sanjay Patel said in a brief statement after the meeting.
The BCCI statement, however, did not specify the exact period of suspension of cricketing tours between the BCCI and the WICB.
Earlier reports suggested BCCI will ask for a compensation of Rs. 400 cr for loss of revenue for 12 match-days after the Indian board compensated for five days by inviting Sri Lanka for a five-match ODI series.
The BCCI also appreciated Sri Lanka for accepting the offer. “The Members appreciated the gesture of Sri Lankan cricket board for having accepted our request to play 5 ODIs starting from 2nd of November 2014, at such a short notice.
“This tour is in lieu of their scheduled tour to India next year which will be reciprocated by India touring Sri Lanka in months of July/August 2015,” the statement said.
The West Indies players were adamant to withdraw their service since they were unhappy with the new contracts, offered to them after landing in India.
As per the new contracts, agreed between the WICB and the Players Association (WIPA), the cricketers reportedly suffered a 75 per cent cut in their salaries.
