“Players abandoning tours have the potential to cause irrevocable damage to the sport”
Image courtesy of: ESPNcricinfo
The International Cricket Council (ICC) have issued a warning to players about abandoning tours after the West Indies recently pulled out midway through their tour of India.
The West Indies decided to pull out of their tour due to a pay dispute with the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) and West Indies Players’ Association (WIPA).
However, the ICC noted that they will not tolerate such behaviour in the future and added that players will face severe repercussions if this kind of incident were to happen again.
“The ICC and all of its member boards on Sunday noted with deep disappointment the recent decision of the West Indies players to abandon an international tour without fulfilling the contractually agreed playing obligations,” an ICC statement said. “Putting aside the legitimacy or otherwise of any grievances of parties involved (which are now the subject of a domestic Task Force probe), the ICC and all member boards noted that players abandoning tours have the potential to cause irrevocable damage to the sport in the jurisdiction of the relevant member board concerned as well as enormous financial damage, which might adversely affect the financial viability of the sport itself.
“With that in mind, and in a show of solidarity, all member boards collectively expressed the view that they consider such player action to be extremely disruptive, damaging and unacceptable.
“Players who behave in a similar manner in the future will not only risk breaching the disciplinary rules of the relevant member board and being sanctioned accordingly, but may also put in jeopardy their ability to conclude future contractual arrangements with domestic franchises or clubs in other jurisdictions.”
ICC chairman Narayanaswami Srinivasan, who used to be the president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), added: “It was undoubtedly a sad chapter in our sport. It damaged cricket’s integrity and reputation, as well as affecting confidence within the cricket community, especially that of the fans. The ICC board was determined to address this situation and ensure such incidents never happen again. The ICC is working with the concerned members towards finding a positive resolution and is confident that there will be constructive outcomes for our game.”