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Business News/ Industry / 2016 ICC World T20 sweats on Pakistan, West Indies participation
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2016 ICC World T20 sweats on Pakistan, West Indies participation

While PCB is seeking govt clearance to send its team to India, the West Indies squad is involved in a contractual dispute with the West Indies cricket board

A screen grab of ICC World T20 website.Premium
A screen grab of ICC World T20 website.

With less than a month to go for the 2016 World Twenty20 tournament, it is not clear if two of the participating countries—Pakistan and the West Indies—will make it to India for the tournament, when it starts on 3 March.

While the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is seeking government clearance to send its team to India, the West Indies squad named for the tournament is involved in a contractual dispute with the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB).

Concerns over Pakistan-specific security threats

The PCB has, on its part, written to the government seeking clearance to send its team to India. PCB chairman Shaharyar Khan told reporters, “We have told the ICC that the decision is with the government and it’s not just us who have do decide. We need to understand that there are specific Pakistan-oriented security threats and we are concerned, hence involved the government. These are not general threats, like Australia had in Bangladesh and they did not send their team for the Under-19 World Cup."

Khan also said that should the government of Pakistan refuse to allow its team to travel to India for the tournament, it would request the International Cricket Council (ICC) to shift its matches to a neutral venue, possibly Sri Lanka or the United Arab Emirates (UAE). “We didn’t say or propose playing the World T20 matches at a neutral venue but someone at the ICC meeting said that if there are concerns over any extremist activity then neutral venues will be looked into. Since it’s an ICC event and not a bilateral series, we have to play it but if the decision (of the government) is negative then maybe the ICC could say that our matches will be held in neutral venues in Sri Lanka or United Arab Emirates, and we will be ready for that."

The PCB’s security concerns are largely based on protests in October last year, when Shiv Sena workers stormed the Board for Control of Cricket in India (BCCI) office in Mumbai, besides shouting anti-Pakistan slogans. They were protesting against talks between the BCCI and PCB over a proposed bilateral series in December. In the aftermath of the protests, two former Pakistani cricketers on commentary duties and umpire Aleem Dar, returned to Pakistan early.

West Indies contract dispute

Meanwhile, the West Indies’ participation has been thrown into doubt, with the possibility of a player strike before the World T20. ESPNcricinfo reported that the 15-man squad “appeared collectively to reject the contracts on offer from the WICB."

The report cited a letter written to the board by West Indies’ T20 captain, Darren Sammy, which stated, “We want to represent the West Indies but the financials on offer we can’t accept." Sammy, in his letter, while rejecting the contract on offer, added that these terms meant “huge financial reductions", a “staggering difference, a near 80% reduction" from what they earned in previous tournaments.

“Obviously I am not privy to exact numbers paid to the WICB from the ICC, but I understand USD $8m will be paid to the Board. Traditionally 25% has been paid to the squad. That would equate to USD $2m / 15 therefore approximately USD $133,000 per player. Worse case scenario the squad would earn $414,000 collectively under the terms of the contract offered by WICB to participate in the T20 World Cup 2016. That is just over 5%. A staggering difference, a near 80% reduction. We want to propose we participate in the T20 World Cup 2016 under the same terms we have represented the West Indies in previous tournaments," wrote Sammy.

BCCI secretary Anurag Thakur told news agency ANI on Wednesday, “All qualifying teams should participate. India is prepared to give security to the teams who will participate."

The two teams are also former champions of the tournament. While Pakistan won the World T20 in 2009, the West Indies prevailed three years later in 2012, when the tournament was held in Sri Lanka.

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Published: 10 Feb 2016, 02:53 PM IST
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