The future of the West Indies Test team will be mapped out early next year with the coach Ottis Gibson and the new director of cricket Richard Pybus set to meet to discuss how to respond to the recent slump in results.
Four of West Indies' last five Tests have been heavy defeats and without rain in Dunedin it would have been five losses on in a row, undoing the strides made over the previous year where the side had strung together six straight Test victories.
Darren Sammy has conceded that careers could be on the line after West Indies' 2-0 series defeat, including his own position as captain. His team's hopes disappeared in a session on the third day in Hamilton as they were skittled for 103, and it was far from a one-off implosion from the West Indies batsmen.
Sammy, as he has throughout, spoke honestly and openly while reflecting on another heavy defeat - West Indies' fourth in five matches - but there was a hollow look in his eyes. When asked if he was "angry", he said he wasn't that type of person - "I have good control over my emotions" - but whereas in Wellington, he watched his side fold in seamer-friendly conditions that favoured New Zealand, in Hamilton, there was little in the surface for the pace bowlers.
Two of cricket's big names, Wally Edwards, chairman of Cricket Australia, and N. Srinivasan, president of India's Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), met in Singapore recently and among other things, discussed the possibility of the International Cricket Council (ICC) changing its revenue distribution policy with Srinivasan wanting it to reflect India's presence in the game.
The present policy calls for an equal split of ICC revenue among its full members, but the BCCI, instigated by Srinivasan, wants this changed to one which would better reflect India's contribution to the game.
Srinivasan, who is also a member of the ICC governance committee and owner of the Chennai Super Kings Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise, is supported by the BCCI's secretary, Sanjay Patel, who has said that the change was put before the ICC last year, that it was legitimate and that it was being discussed.
New Zealand suffered few alarms as they eased to an eight-wicket victory in Hamilton to claim the series 2-0. It was their first series victory over a top-eight nation since they beat the same opposition in 2006. Kane Williamson provided the main contribution, with an elegant 56, while Hamish Rutherford was unbeaten on 48, having been required to fight a little harder.
The winning runs came at 1.45pm when Rutherford drove Narsingh Deonarine through the covers, meaning Ross Taylor could not quite score enough in the second innings to become New Zealand's leading scorer in a calendar year after Williamson had been bowled with six runs required.
Prolific West Indies cricketer Dwayne Smith has pulled out of the Big Bash League (BBL), Australia's premier T20 tournament, the Barbados Cricket Association (BCA) has reported.
No reason has yet been given for Smith's decision to withdraw and speculation has heightened in Barbados over the sudden move after he played in the final national Super50 trial match this week, the association's website has reported.
Smith was due to leave Barbados earlier this week for London, enroute to Australia, but has remained in Bridgetown after reportedly making two trips to the airport.
BCA's website, BCAcricket.org. quoting well-placed sources, reported that Smith, in one instance, 'dramatically asked airline officials to disembark the aircraft' when it was on the runway at the Grantley Adams International Airport.
