WICB to argue its position before ICC

ST JOHN'S, Antigua (CMC):

The West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) has adopted a position on a draft proposal that would put power in international cricket in the hands of India, England and Australia.

The decision was reached during a two-day emergency meeting by teleconference which ended late Wednesday.

However, a WICB spokesperson has said that the WICB position would not be made public until it is articulated before the quarterly meeting of the International Cricket Council (ICC) in Dubai on January 28 and 29.

"The Board has taken a position in the best interest of West Indies Cricket and which President Dave Cameron will present to the ICC Board meeting next week in Dubai," the WICB spokesperson said.

"The WICB views it as prudent to present the Board's position to the ICC meeting before making any further public comment."

The ICC working paper is proposing that Test cricket is played under a two-tiered system in which England, India and Australia will not be demoted, while teams like West Indies and New Zealand would find themselves in the second tier.

The issue has sparked a raging debate in the cricket world, with Cricket South Africa calling on the ICC to withdraw the proposal and former chairman of the West Indies Cricket Board's Governance Committee, Charles Wilkin, appealing to WICB and regional governments to resist the move.