Mitchell Calls 'No Ball' on WICB Ultimatum

Grenada prime minister Dr Keith Mitchell, who is serving as umpire in the messy contract dispute between the WICB and WIPA, has called a loud 'no-ball' on Teddy Griffith's ultimatum to seven of the region's top cricketers.

In a radio interview with journalist Simon Crosskill, Mitchell said the WICB president ignored a direct request to avoid inflaming the situation. "Teddy's statement was premature and was not necessary. I'm not afraid to say it. He was aware that we were making progress during private negotiations and he assured me he won't do or say anything to jeopardise the process. I am surprised and disappointed that he chose to go public with a unilateral decision at this time."

Mitchell, who chairs the Caricom prime ministerial sub-committee on cricket, said the WICB was very aware that "significant progress and concessions" were being made by the other parties in the dispute.

"There were some compromises being put forward and being seriously considered. we alerted him [Griffith] about what was taking place," Mitchell said. CaribbeanCricket.com has learnt that Mitchell wrote to Griffith yesterday requesting that he cancel his planned "statement of great importance" and allow the closed-door negotiations to proceed.

Moreover, Mitchell said the WICB's ultimatum that the players allow the board to see the Cable & Wireless personal contracts was surprising because the Caricom sub-committee had already received a copy of one of the C&W contracts.

He said Griffith was aware that the sub-committee was reviewing the C&W contract to determine whether it clashed with the WICB's deal with Digicel.

"We now have samples of the [C&W] contracts. We have an umpire and a mediator who have been looking at them...There is a preliminary understanding of this already," Mitchell said, adding that a C&W contract was made available even during the first arbitration process and the initial legal advice was that it did not clash with the Digicel team sponsorship.

Asked directly by Crosskill if the WICB president was ignoring the work of the Caricom sub-committee, Mitchell said: "He would have to answer to that. I tell you it was not the right time at all for his statement. We have put too much into this negotiation process at the highest possible levels of leadership in the Caribbean.

Mitchell said all parties will meet in Grenada on Monday to attempt to find common ground. "All is not lost. We're moving forward and bringing all the parties together," he explained, noting that Digicel chairman Denis O'Brien and top executives from Cable & Wireless would also attend.

"There needs to be give-and-take on the part of everyone concerned. I'm very hopeful of a resolution by Monday. The key issues of concern to the WICB should be settled. We have a reasonable chance to get some solution but all sides will have to make compromises," he said.

"The WICB won't get everything they want. The other sides won't get everything they want. It will take deep introspection and the fact that they're coming to the meeting at the highest possible levels is a good sign."

He said the immediate objective is to "put forth the best players on the field of play," hinting strongly that a practical resolution will clear the way for Brian Lara, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Chris Gayle, Dwayne Bravo and three others to be eligible for selection.

He warned that the alternative to continued crisis was unthinkable. "There has to be an understanding that everyone will lose. If this thing is not resolved, the WICB will not get the proper funding to develop cricket in the region."

"I don't see how Digicel would be investing a lot of money in a weak West Indies team for a long period of time [and] I don't believe that Cable & wireless can benefit from sponsoring players who are not in the West Indies team. Everyone will lose if there is no resolution," he added.

He also hinted that Caricom would have to take a hard look at funding for the World Cup in 2007 if the crisis continues. "Governments will only want to invest in an atmosphere of clarity. We want a full-strength team for the World Cup so we [Caricom] have a major interest in this. Economically, it puts everyone in a difficult position.

"Monday is my Cabinet day. I'm giving up a Cabinet day to be involved in this and get a resolution so you can imagine how important it is."