Aussies May Replace Windies

The WICB's decision to pick replacement players for the upcoming tri-nation ODI series isn't sitting well with the cricket authorities in Australia.

Cricket Australia said on Thursday it could consider an alternative team to replace the West Indies in the tournament if the WICB side does not resolve the contract dispute with the players' association.

"At the moment we're talking about hypotheticals, but if they don't (agree) we will start thinking about alternatives," spokesman Peter Young said.

Australian captain Ricky Ponting said it was "disappointing" that the West Indies might be sending an understrength side to the tournament. "You want to be playing the best teams you possibly can around the world. Hopefully it will be sorted out and resolved and hopefully they do send out their full-strength side," Ponding said.

For bilateral tours, the host and visiting sides typically sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that requires a "full-strength" team be sent to the tournament. It is not known if that clause exists in the MOU signed between the WICB and Cricket Australia.

The WICB has refused to budge on a controversial clause in the Match and Tour contract, forcing the majority of the squad to reject the invitation to a pre-tour camp.

The board reacted by dropping 16 players from the 25-man squad, including Brian Lara, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Chris Gayle, Dwayne Bravo, Courtney Browne, Corey Collymore and Wavell Hinds.

Only three players from the team that won the ICC Champions Trophy (Shiv Chanderpaul, Ricardo Powell and Darren Sammy) have signed the invitation letters.

CARICOM, through Grenada Prime Minister Keith Mitchell, has offered to mediate a settlement. WIPA has accepted the offer but there was no word on whether the was open to new talks with Mitchell as mediator.

Mitchell is Chairman of the CARICOM Prime Ministerial Sub Committee on Cricket.