Equity is about obtaining pay for work you perform or at least normalising the payment structure in line with general good practice. In this particular case, I am referring to cricket.
The West Indies team is not only experiencing pain on the field of play but also off the field. Perhaps this is where we can find a balance and attempt to address some of the evils that plague our sport .
No one would easily accept a cut in pay by over 60 percent. This is surely a disincentive. Yet, we have the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) and the West Indies Players Association ( WIPA) taking this absurd decision.
It means the West Indies players are now earning around US $5,200 US per test match, since this is the agreement contrived between Wavell Hinds of WIPA and Dave Cameron of the WICB.
Let us examine the consequences of this cut on the careers of young cricketers, who are faced with super salaries in T20 cricket. Why would a youngster play cricket for five days and receive US $5,200 when he can play a T20 match for six hours and receive between US $2,000 US to $2,500?
Something must be done to address this because not only will we lose our best players to T20 cricket, which is now played all over the world but also the younger generation will naturally gravitate towards the format, that is both rewarding financially and also promotionally, because youngsters are about image and branding.
The WICB needs to be concern about these developments.
As far as the regional four day tournament is concerned, there is a gaping hole in the standard because of the low quality of players on exhibition and the lack of experience. The best team is Guyana and that is in no small part due to the fact that they have experienced players, led by the ageless Shivnarine Chanderpaul.
We should not fool ourselves, but instead look in the mirror, and think about working life, and our expectations of a salary increase or bonus each year, despite the ups and downs of the country or the company or organization, that we belong too. It should not be any different for West Indies players. This is their job and this is their livelihood.
While everyone talks about the Australian and English love of Test cricket, this is all a pack of nonsense. It is simply about economics. The Australian and England Cricket Boards understand that, and will ensure their players are well compensated so that they can continue to call the shots.
Currently, the leading Australian players are on retainer contracts of between US $800,000 to $1.5 Million at the top end, so of course, they will remain in Test cricket. It’s no different with the English players while we all know the Indian players are only allowed to play IPL cricket and no other T20 matches. In Australia at the lowest end, an entry level player receives US $350,000 so naturally these players are always generally available and mainly play the IPL and a few of their own Big Bash matches as well when out of test cricket
This is where the WICB, if they were intelligent would use their only source of power, as has been revealed in the recent T20 rankings of being the number one to command attention. All over the world, it is the West Indian players that bring out the crowds and top the batting, bowling and fielding. So why is it that the WICB cannot attempt to work with the leading West Indian players , such as Chris Gayle , Dwayne Bravo , Kieron Pollard , Andre Russell , Darren Sammy , Sunil Narine , Lendl Simmons , just to mention a few .
One idea is to establish a salary cap, similar to what obtains elsewhere in sports, which would assist the problems, because how can we realistically ask the West Indian players who are not only performing for their T20 franchises, but also promoting the game to other youngsters in these territories and also giving of their time and experience to other possible competitors in the future to contribute to the region, when the top retainer in the Caribbean is US $135,000.
So instead, I would recommend to the West Indies Cricket Board, the following, if they want our sport to grow:
a) A maximum retainer of US $450,000 with increments from $400,000 to $350,000 with $200,000 as lowest.
b) This will ensure that the best players will now only be allowed to play in the IPL and the Caribbean Premier league
This will call for money. But you do not need to be a brain scientist to realize that the West Indies are ranked 8 and 9 in Test and one day cricket, where the players make less money. However, where the best players appear for the West Indies T20 cricket, we are number one, and the players earn most of their best living in this format of the game. Indeed Money talks and everything else walks.
The news that the tour of the Caribbean by India will coincide with the Caribbean Premier League, has to be a slap in the face for West Indies cricket and in particular for the WICB, as it appears the Indian Cricket Board have directly decided to try to affect the growing popularity of the CPL, by doing this, which will rule out several of the young West Indians. How can we ask youngsters who would normally earn US $70,000 to $100,000 to give this up for just around $15,000 for a three test series? That is hypocrisy from the WICB?
And if I was involved in the sponsorship and promotional deal with the WICB from the Caribbean Premier League, I would certainly ask my LEGAL team to review the contract, where it is stated the best players must make themselves available, given that it is because of the WICB, that these young players may not be available.
All of this begs two questions.
1) Was this intentional on the part of India to affect the Caribbean Premier League?
2) And will the sponsors of the Caribbean Premier League accept this?
It promises to be quite an interesting time ahead for West Indies cricket, particularly off the field. The WICB, might soon be calling on CARICOM for assistance after all.
