It's a Deal!

The WICB and WIPA have reached agreement on retainer contracts for between 8 and 12 West Indies cricketers.

A source close to the West Indies Cricket Board told CaribbeanCricket.com that both sides signed off on the deal after a marathon negotiating session Tuesday that ended at 4:30 a.m. on Wednesday.

Financial details on the agreement were not immediately available. "Both sides made concessions and we have a deal to announce," said a WICB director familiar with the negotiations.

The WICB was represented at the meeting by Deryck Murray, Desmond Haynes and Barry Thomas while WIPA's negotiating team included Dinanath Ramnarine, David Abdullah and Roland Houssain.

A formal announcement is expected at a press conference scheduled for 12:00 noon today.

The WICB is also set to name the new captain and full squad for the ODI series against Zimbabwe.

The board has already approached Brian Lara to assume the captaincy for a third time but a source said there is some disagreement among the WICB directors about that choice.