Caribbean series back on: India agree to tour West Indies in 2016

St John’s (Antigua): The year-long impasse between the BCCI and the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) ended on Thursday as the Indian cricket board has decided to resume bilateral cricketing ties with an away tour of the Caribbean islands in mid-2016. India are scheduled to play four Test matches in the Caribbean in July-August, 2016. [caption id=“attachment_2141141” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  File picture of India and West Indies players. AFP[/caption] A media release issued by the West Indies Cricket Board states: “WICB president, Dave Cameron today confirmed that following discussions with BCCI president Shashank Manohar, that the West Indies will host India in the Caribbean in 2016.” “This agreement is subject to the WICB and the Players Association giving a joint commitment to complete, at a later date, the tour which prematurely ended in October 2014. Cricket remained the centrepiece of our discussion and we are happy to be at this juncture,” added Cameron. Although BCCI top brass remained unavailable for comment, it is learnt from sources that after Cameron took the initiative to speak to Manohar, the BCCI supremo assured them that resumption of cricketing ties will depend on their commitment especially after the West Indies players, lead by then ODI captain Dwayne Bravo, pulled out of an ongoing series against India after the fourth ODI in Dharamsala, last year. The players had then cited the failure of the West Indies Players’ Association (WIPA) and WICB to resolve the disputes arising from the MoU and Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) signed by the two parties in September 2014. The then BCCI administration had claimed damages amounting to nearly USD 42 million. However the cash-strapped Caribbean cricket board chief Cameron and CEO Michael Muirhead had stated that they would be unable to pay such huge financial penalty. With WICB in dire financial conditions, a series against India is a definitive solution to their current state of disarray. PTI