Will the Contract System Work?

Sometime soon, the WICB will be issuing retainer contracts to the West Indian players, ensuring that they receive an annual salary in addition to their match fees and individual endorsements. By doing this, the WICB will or should have full control over the players, ensuring that they do not have to seek alternative employment when the season is out and they can focus 100% on training hard at their game.

It would be interesting to know the terms and conditions of this contract system, seeing that it is the Australian contract system being followed (only fitting as they are the best in the world). The question must be asked however, will these contracts work?

Prior to the tour of Zimbabwe at the end of 2003, the team had a training camp and several players turned up a few pounds overweight, with poor fitness levels and not up to the standard of an international athlete. It was reported that amateur hockey players also attending a similar camp were in better physical condition than these supposed professional athletes. This shows that the players have not been training as hard and as often as they should, and hopefully the contracts will enable the WICB to demand that the players keep fit.

It's early days yet for the contract system, but it is an encouraging sign for fans that follow this team. Just when you think West Indies cricket cannot go any lower it finds a way to do so and sends fans into a deeper depression. This is surely a step forward in the right direction. The fans can only eagerly await the benefits of this, as the English fans have since the year 2000. Back then the captain Nasser Hussain, in cahoots with coach Duncan Fletcher, urged the ECB to create a similar system, and they have steadily seen a rise in team performance which sees England one of the top teams in world cricket.

Praise must be given to the WICB and WIPA (especially Dinanath Ramnarine as he is earning his pay), for putting their heads together and coming up with this strategy in an attempt to improve West Indies cricket and take it into the future. This can only have a positive impact on regional cricket. Restructuring of the regional first class scene may well set us on the way to regaining our cricketing supremacy.