GEORGETOWN, Guyana, CMC – Sir Shridath Ramphal, whose mediation effort in the bitter West Indies cricket dispute failed this summer, has welcomed Tuesday’s annou-ncement that the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) appears close to resolving their long-standing contractual dispute with the players.

Sir Shridath Ramphal

In a joint statement Tuesday, the WICB and the West Indies Players’ Association (WIPA) said they had settled most of the contentious issues, with an arbitration process being arranged to resolve the remaining concerns.
“I am absolutely delighted,” Sir Shridath  declared in a press release yesterday.

“I congratulate both the board and WIPA – as well as West Indians in their millions, in the region and beyond, who insisted that West Indian cricket must return to its great traditions. Their voices have been heard,” he added.
Sir Shridath had been appointed mediator at a July 21 meeting with CARICOM Chairman Bharrat Jagdeo but the process broke down six weeks later and the former Commonwealth Secretary-General is happy they have finally made headway with the contentious issue.

“It has taken two months for the mediation process and the timely urging of Caribbean leaders to yield results; but they have, and in full measure,” he added.

“West Indian cricket belongs to all of us; it helps to make us West Indians. It is a good day for CARICOM. It is a good day for cricket – regionally and internationally,” Sir Shridath  said.

Because of the contracts row, the leading players made themselves unavailable for the Bangladesh home series that featured a makeshift Windies squad which was also used for the ICC Champions Trophy in South Africa.

The severely depleted West Indies side lost both Test and One-Day International series to Bangladesh and failed to win a game at the Champions Trophy last month.

Urging better relations between the WICB and WIPA, Sir Shridath  made a call for all interests in West Indies cricket to commit themselves to avoiding a repeat of the crisis that crippled West Indies cricket in recent months.

“Now everyone must help in their various ways to ensure that it never again lapses into such decline. The promise of an end to discord must be kept,” he said.