Windies’ stars may face Big Bash ban

Oct 05, 2010 Sports

According to the Age Newspaper in Australia, star West Indian trio Chris Gayle, Kieron Pollard and Dwayne Bravo are likely to be banned from the Big Bash if they attempt to come to Australia without the permission of the West Indies Cricket Board.
All three players have rejected contracts from the WICB, seemingly because of a desire to have greater freedom to play various countries’ Twenty20 tournaments.
It was reported last month that top West Indian players were unlikely to feature in this summer’s Big Bash – at least not for its entire five-week duration – because the tournament conflicted with the West Indies’ own Twenty20 tournament, and that its players were contractually bound to be available for selection in domestic tournaments.
All three players have signalled an intent to keep representing the West Indies in international competition, however their refusal of contracts creates the potential for them to play overseas against the wishes of the WICB. West Indian captain Gayle and Pollard are contracted, respectively, to Western Australia and South Australia, while Bravo is believed to be keen to re-sign with Victoria.
While Cricket Australia acting chief executive Michael Brown praised the star imports for the ”incredible aura” they created in last year’s Big Bash, he stressed it was the peak body – not the states – that decided whether they would play.
”They’ve got to get approval to play in our competition. It’s Cricket Australia’s competition and we would work all those things out. I would not see a situation where a player would be putting his position with his [home] board at risk without consent. We will work through that and I will talk to the West Indies if needed,” Brown told The Age.
”One of the things we need to understand is that
players don’t come without their home-board approval. Regardless of what we do in cricket [matches], we are very strong allies and supporters of West Indian cricket. They have the ultimate right whether they approve their players going, so if any of those players can come it’ll float back to them.”
Cricketers contracted to international or domestic teams must obtain a no-objection certificate to play in overseas competitions, such as the Indian Premier League.
Brown said he was unsure whether that policy now applied to the West Indies players, ”but it’s safe to say that we would not be welcoming people in that we had not, at least, had pre-discussions with their boards”. ”Our relationship [with international teams’] boards is fundamental,” he said. The obvious motive for CA to support the WICB, even if it results in fewer stars at the Big Bash, is to ensure solidarity among international teams. If CA allowed the likes of Gayle and Pollard to play in Australia against their board’s wishes then it would have no grounds for complaint if top Australian players did likewise.
Brown expressed hope that the WICB and WIPA would resolve their issues. ”We don’t get involved in their politics. I’ve heard that they’ve had some issues … but I’m sure they’ll work them out,” he said.

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Windies’ stars may face Big Bash ban

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