I am back to CC.com again I used to post here earlier under the handle BCL400.
I just hope as a WI fan that we get back to playing again with a full strength team. No bans or suspensions. Of course Wavell Hinds and Dave Cameron will have to resign.
Anyway Lalit Modi has his own take on this :
Srinivasan has failed yet again. But obviously no one must raise questions, right? What else explains the decision of the BCCI to suspend all bilateral ties and initiate legal proceedings against West Indies, after the latter pulled out of the recent India tour?
So now, India wont play West Indies, cant play Pakistan, doesnt want to play Bangladesh and Zimbabwe, and is not interested in playing against associates and affiliates. Yet cricket is a global sport, and the ICC led by Srinivasan, watches all this happen quietly!
The standoff between the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) and its players was imminent, even before the India tour began. The issue demanded immediate attention from the BCCI, WICB, and of course the ICC. But all three failed. More so, the ICC, who under its new boss, Srinivasan, is busy favouring his favourite TV network than solving matters concerning world cricket.
Why could the ICC not step in and amicably resolve issues, which forced the West Indies cricketers to withdraw from an ongoing series? Thats because Srinivasan and his cronies are busy trying to finish their opposition. They did not bat an eyelid when it came to taking action against the Rajasthan Cricket Association (RCA), but failed to respond against the WICB.
The BCCI allowed things to drift, assuming that the threat of IPL ban and other prohibitions like no opportunity to play in India will deter the players. However, what BCCI fails to understand is that for a player, respect is far more important than just money.
Sadly, Srinivasan and his cronies at BCCI thought that they can bully the West Indies team into playing, which did not work. BCCI under Madhavrao Scindia, Sharad Pawar, IS Bindra, Shashank Manohar, or even Jagmohan Dalmiya would never have been complacent.
At the moment, too much rests in one hand and there are no decision makers. ICC obviously was famously silent on the issue of Kenya, and then Zimbabwe, and did little to promote the sport in these two countries. Of course, who can forget Pune Warriors, Kochi Tuskers Kerala, and Deccan Chargers, who were finished by Srinivasan? West Indies is the latest casualty in that list. RIP West Indies Cricket!
West Indies is a side that was brought together by history, held together by flamboyance, and finally will break because of the greed of some. I will always remember with fondness the might of West Indies, featuring some of the most entertaining batsmen, exhilarating fielders, and breath-taking fast bowlers. Champions never die, they just fade away. In this case, forever!