WICB selector says dispute needs settling for Bravo to be picked

ST JOHN’S, Antigua, CMC – Leeward Islands Hurricanes defeated Kent Spitfires by seven wickets, in the day/night fourth game of the Regional Super50 at the Coolidge Cricket Ground here Wednesday.

Darren Bravo will not be considered for West Indies selection until he settles an ongoing dispute with the West Indies Cricket Board according to Courtney Browne, the West Indies' chairman of selectors. Bravo, 27, was forced to return home from Harare on the eve of the November tri-series in Zimbabwe after the WICB cancelled his match contract reacting to his criticism of board president Dave Cameron.

Bravo, who declined a WICB central contract, was also not picked in the Trinidad & Tobago squad for the Regional Super50, the domestic limited-overs tournament that got underway on Tuesday. Bravo recently had a Skype meeting with WICB officials, but details of the meeting have not been made public.

In the current circumstances, Browne said that Bravo could not be selected despite being "one of our better players". West Indies' next international assignment is a three-match ODI series at home against England in early March followed by a full series against Pakistan beginning on March 31 in Trinidad & Tobago.

"At this stage all I know is there is supposed to have been some discussion between Darren's team and WICB," Browne told Line and Length Network, a Barbados-based TV station. "Until that is settled, I don't think there will be much going on in terms of Darren playing cricket. He is a talented young man, one of our better players. Obviously it was sad to lose him but at times these things happen, you just need to deal with it and see how you can get him back on the field playing cricket."