Haynes Resigns as WIPA Secretary
Sat, Aug 6, '05
Desmond Haynes has resigned as secretary of the West Indies Players' Association (WIPA) to join the board of directors of the WICB.
The former opening batsman, who joined WIPA as secretary in March, cited a potential conflict of interest and sounded a call for WIPA president Dinanath Ramnarine to pull himself out of the contentious contract negotiations in the interest of "healing."
Haynes told the Barbados Nation that he put forward recommendations to Ramnarine in an effort to help end a long-standing impasse with the WICB.
"Judging from the meetings I've had with WIPA and the WICB, there is a need for a lot of healing. I've made some suggestions to WIPA that I feel we should start changing the personnel who will be negotiating," Haynes said.
"I don't think the president of WIPA should be doing any sort of negotiating at the time...just because of the impasse and the feeling between the parties."
Haynes, who recently called on the WICB to put its contract with Digicel before an arbitrator to determine whether it conflicts with player rights, said he will be putting his energy towards improving cricket in his native Barbados. "It would be a little difficult for me to be involved in WIPA at this moment when there is so much work that needs to be done here in Barbados," he said.
Haynes was chosen as a WICB director following elections of the BCA board of management that will be headed by new president Tony Marshall. Marshall and Haynes were elected as WICB directors ahead of Joel Garner and replaced former BCA president Stephen Alleyne and third vice-president Jeff Broomes, who were ineligible for re-election after being unseated on the BCA board.
The Barbados Nation said Marshall polled 149 votes, Haynes 142 and Garner 98 in the race to pick two WICB directors.
Haynes is president of the Carlton Club and chairman of the National Sports Council in Barbados. Along with Gordon Greenidge, he was part of the most successful opening partnership in the history of West Indies cricket.
In 116 Tests between 1978 and 1994, Haynes scored 7,487 runs (avg. 42.29) with 18 centuries. He also appeared in 238 ODIs, scoring 8,648 runs with 17 tons (avg. 41.37).