WICB Dumps Old Eligibility Rule But...

The controversial eligibility rule that effectively killed many a career has been dumped by the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) but there appears to be more questions than answers once the Board made the announcement.

In the latest 'Across the Board' column, the WICB said: "The new rule is simple and states that a player becomes eligible for selection to the senior West Indies team when he makes himself available for selection to his national side in a competition immediately preceding the selection of a West Indies team for an international series."

But, there are still many unanswered questions. Has the Dessie Haynes lawsuit been amicably settled? Does the new rule go into effect immediately? Can Franklyn Rose, Sherwin Campbell, Junior Murray or Stuart Williams come home to a few club matches and be eligible for selection?

Despite the many unanswered questions, the WICB is gung-ho about implementing the rule change, which is sure to rankle the major sponsors of regional cricket -- mostly Desnoes & Geddes (Red Stripe) and the Busta beverage company, which sponsors the Busta Cup.

Here are key excerpts from the WICB announcement:

* The new rule is simple and states that a player becomes eligible for selection to the senior West Indies team when he makes himself available for selection to his national side in a competition immediately preceding the selection of a West Indies team for an international series.

* The board meeting that considered this change to the rule voted by majority 13-1 and that should demonstrate how agreeable many find the new ruling.

* The board noted and appreciated the views of the board member that voted against the rule, but feels this change represents a first step to addressing the new competitive requirements of the rigourous 10-year tour programme of the International Cricket Council that involves teams playing at least 15 Tests and 25 limited-overs internationals annually.

* In the short to medium term however, the WICB has to give serious consideration to a professional league at the club and/or regional level. This means we will also have to look at the way we schedule and structure of our competitions so they provide our players with the kind of environment that will lead to outstanding performances.

* Against the backdrop of the possibility of injuries to players, the West Indies selection committee will have to choose from a larger pool of players to make sure that our teams are always at full strength and can rival any other elsewhere in the world.

* The board is also mindful that in order to achieve the objective of producing a winning side, one of the next steps we have to pursue is to acquire the resources that will allow us to be in a position to offer these players retainer contracts that will help us to cope better with the new demands of the international programme.