Skerritt Recommends Fines, Probation

West Indies manager Ricky Skerritt has recommended heavy fines, strong reprimands and probation for vice captain Ramnaresh Sarwan and Chris Gayle for visiting a 'party stand' in Jamaica after the first Test batting debacle.

Skerritt sent a strongly worded report to the WICB with the strong recommendations after interviewing the four players involved -- Sarwan, Gayle, Tino Best and Adam Sanford -- and, according to high-level sources, the board initiated a meeting with the West Indies Players' Association (WIPA) to "come to some sort of an understanding."

After the meeting with WIPA, the WICB sent a letter to the four players, asking them to respond in detail to the report submitted by Skerritt. The players have until Thursday, March 25th to answer the allegations.

Telephone calls and e-mails sent by CaribbeanCricket.com to Skerritt have gone unanswered but a senior WICB source who had seen the manager's report said the sanctions recommended against Sanford and Best were more lenient because they did not spend as much time in the 'party stand' as Sarwan and Gayle.

Best went to the stand to summon Sarwan and Gayle and, in Sanford's case, he never made it into the stand. Team management was also irked that one of the senior players did not return in time to take the team bus back to the hotel.

One official said it was "rather unusual" for the WICB to give the players the full report submitted by Skerritt, which included very strong language about their "insensitive" and "immature" actions.

"It is a little strange that the board would send everything Skerritt said to the players and ask them to respond. There's a perception it could undermine the manager."

Hours after the West Indies crashed to 47 all out in the first Test -- their lowest-ever Test score -- the team issued an unprecedented apology for its "shocking performance" on the field and for the four players being spotted in the 'party stand'.

"The team further apologizes for the inappropriate conduct of four members of the team who were seen in a party stand at Sabina Park following the loss..."I am disgusted at the thoughtlessness and shamelessness displayed by these players following such a horrific performance," Skerritt said in the apology.