Windies wrangle rolls on

The dispute dogging West Indies cricket shows no sign of abating after another potential deal collapsed.

Chris Gayle & Co. still no closer to returning to the international arena

The financial dispute dogging West Indies cricket shows no sign of abating after another potential deal between the players and the board collapsed. Former commonwealth secretary general Sir Shridath Ramphal was appointed mediator between the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) and the West Indian Players Association (WIPA) on July 21 and has been working feverishly behind the scenes to broker an agreement. But his efforts have once again fallen flat and WIPA will therefore press ahead with their "B" team for the ICC Champions Trophy, which gets under way on September 22. "It was another bad day for West Indian cricket which, without fundamental changes, is now likely to deteriorate further," a disappointed Ramphal said afterwards. The news means striking senior pros like Chris Gayle, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Dwayne Bravo and Jerome Taylor will once again be absent, clearing the way for lesser lights to take centre stage in South Africa.