By going home midway through the tour of India the West Indian cricketers left the BCCI in a quandary, but only for a little while. Not since England cricketers had to leave Cape Town in a hurry to catch a boat, and so brought the timeless Test match experiment to an end before World War II, has any cricket team disappeared mid-tour like this. Tour cancellations due to political compulsions are not unknown. Pay disputes may not be that common but they are always an internal matter between a cricket board and its players; they never get played out in public like this.
The BCCI can look after itself. In fact, a substitute tour by the Sri Lankans has already been slotted. It is the future of West Indies cricket that is in jeopardy. The Caribbean cricketers were one of the first to embrace the professional system. Known to be marvellous entertainers, they were always in demand. However, they have suffered because of differences with a West Indies Cricket Board that is somewhat notorious for poor administration.
Today, cricket boards shell out a fair share of annual revenues to their players. There is always room for a bit of manoeuvring in this and players are also known to demand more. By running afoul of the BCCI, what West Indian cricket and cricketers have achieved is greater notoriety and uncertainty regarding how welcome they will be in the game.
