ST JOHN’S, Antigua (CMC) — Legendary former pacer Sir Curtly Ambrose says tweaks need to be made to the controversial eligibility rule in order to have the best players available for West Indies duty.

Sir Curtly, who currently serves as a West Indies team bowling consultant, said while he appreciated the objective of the rule, the overall focus should be on ensuring the region always fields its best XI.

“I still believe that there are a few guys out there who I believe can play the ODIs and the Test cricket, but there is a criteria that you have to play the first-class cricket here in the region to be selected or eligible for Test cricket, and you have to also play the regional one-day tournament to play for the ODI [team],” the Observer newspaper quoted Sir Curtly as saying on a sports radio show here.

In reply to CaribbeanCricket.com

Tweaks are needed but it becomes a slippery slope that will become unsustainable in ensuring that our best players remain and play in the local tournament..

In reply to buds

Talk about a slippery slope!

How many other sports have this rigid & anachronistic eligibility rule?

Football? Track & Field ? Basketball? Netball?

The world has changed yet the WICB remains oblivious to the changing reality.

Why should it change as long as it is cheered on by you and others....while it careens over the precipice!

I understand the WICB's position on this. However I would propose relaxing (tweaking) the current rule to something like '..Priority would be given to players who take part in the regionals...'

This would open selection to all but still send the message that participating in the regional tournaments puts a player at the top of the selection queue..

QED.. Quod Erat Demonstrandum.

Sorry Mr. Ambrose, but your idea is rubbish! You can't run an organization like you are playing room for rent!

WICB is not a ramping shop!


Other cricketing nations do not have that problem, why?

WICB is not in a position to pay players what they think they command so let them ply their trade elsewhere

There is no Lara, Viv, or Rowe among those Prima Donnas

In reply to XDFIX

People tend not to realise that if it was up to Employees companies would go bankrupt in no time--Everyone, is looking out for their self interest at the EXPENSE of the Company. An organization has to have rules and regulations that keep it whole, not fractured..And importantly viable..
Rules are their to avoid Anarchy--Wall Street almost ruined the US economy for lack of rules/regulations and self interest of individuals at the expense of the US/world economy-
57% of 35million is going towards the senior players YET, they complain about the WICB and them not getting their fair share..
People here need to get the facts so they can have an educated conversation.

In reply to jacksprat

The WI population does not afford that type of wealth/money distribution. Cricket is a dying sport in the Caribbean so they cannot garner the type of receipts that these players demand comparable to others test playing nations. Other sports can--Let them go and play IPL etc. but, if you want to play for the WI do so with a caveat..

What is it the Caribbean people want? Do they want to see the best players play in the local tournaments or in IPL?

The people in the Caribbean will kill cricket because many are not educated about the facts and how an organisation operates--They have started the process....Its going to its logical conclusion. Unfortunately.

In reply to buds

Why not look at best practice instead of continuing with archaic rule.
How many of the young guys, will give up money to play in the regional 50 overs or 4-day tournament?

In reply to openning

Not many however, how are you going to make cricket in the Caribbean viable as a spectator sport by tweaking a rule that no doubt will be slippery..I will give an example of how patriotic immigrants are.Or I should ask a question.How many of immigrants would return to their homeland and give up living and making money overseas? Not one..They live in the Caribbean because they can afford it..
The WICB and regional boards had a lot to do with these Prima Donnas development thus success..Why is it so terrible to ask them to participate in the regional tournament for selection?

In reply to openning

You have to get money before you can give up money. T20 contracts are promised to no one. Perform to earn. Ask Marlon/Sammy

In reply to buds
Brother buds it is not black and white, finding ways of working together is important.
You will have guys 20 years from now, doing the same thing, if you would not sit and have a dialogue.
It is easy for Pybus to be strong and wrong, he is going to lose Carlos, Blackwood, Darren Bravo, Holder and many other youngsters, if he cannot have a discussion with players
The best athletes in the world want to earn top dollars, our top players are in demand, why not find ways to market the regional product, so that players will want to participate?

In reply to openning
Absolutely true.
The big question - If any of our kids wanted advice on accepting a 500K us IPL contract against a 120K WIBC retainer, and willing to be ineligible for test, what would it be?
I love test cricket, but the board need to be flexible. Casue I can guarantee, any of the U19 players, who would be in demand, will give the WIBC the same headaches later on. The global game has moved on, not the WIBC.
Dialogue is needed.

No tweaking is necessary the WICB did what was fair, they created a window for players to play the biggest 20/20 tournaments that is more than enough for any reasonable human being. Anybody that says that this board hasn't tried to work with the players is just as disingenuous as the players.

In reply to Nemesis

In reply to buds

In reply to XDFIX

What is WICB?

In reply to jacksprat and bud

a moratorium needs to be placed on this selection policy otherwise we lose what we are trying to achieve. Guys it ain't working.

agreed that it isnt working... no point pretending that it might. There should be some element of local loyalty involved but the present system just means we will putting out 'B' teams now and in the future.... One of the most important thing for cricket in Caribbean is to have a competitive side in ODI's and test cricket.

In reply to Nemesis

Isn't this two issues, the money and playing locally?