OWN CORRESPONDENT, Johannesburg | Tuesday 12.00noon.
THE West Indies cricket team arrived at Johannesburg International Airport on Tuesday morning.
The players will start their tour against the Gauteng XI in Soweto, Johannesburg, on Wednesday. The planned opening match Tuesday against the Nicky Oppenheimer XI at Randjesfontein outside Johannesburg has been cancelled.
TUESDAY, 9.00AM:
WEST Indian cricket chiefs announced on Monday their team’s tour to South Africa will go ahead after a players’ pay revolt ended.
West Indies Board president Patrick Rousseau said late on Monday that a deal has been struck, including the reinstatement of captain Brian Lara and his number two Carl Hooper, who were sacked after leading the revolt.
The West Indies tour had initially been due to start on Tuesday.
Rousseau said: “A settlement has been reached tonight which will allow the tour of South Africa to go ahead.
“Brian Lara and Carl Hooper have been reinstated, and no disciplinary action will be taken against any of the players.”
The West Indies team, due to leave for South Africa late Monday, has been stuck in a hotel at London’s Heathrow airport for the last week while the dispute has dragged on.
Lara, one of the world’s best batsmen, and Hooper were backed by their teammates who refused to leave without them.
Rousseau denied there had been a climbdown on pay by the board and claimed Lara’s dismissal as captain was the result of a mix-up.
“I don’t think it’s a question of us giving way, and there has been no increase in the fees for the players for this tour,” he said.
“After lengthy talks between players and officials over the past two days both sides acknowledge that the dispute arose from a misunderstanding between the two parties.
“All issues related to fees and conditions for the South Africa tour have been resolved between the two parties.
“The WICB and the West Indies Players’ Association will work closely together in a joint marketing programme from which all funding raised will be shared between the players and the WICB.”
Dr Ali Bacher, managing director of the United Cricket Board of South Africa, teamed up with Rousseau to end the impasse. Bacher flew to London on Thursday with a letter from President Nelson Mandela requesting the players to tour. The social significance of the West Indies tour for South Africa’s black population has been stressed during the past week.
The West Indians are treated as heroes in South Africa, where cricket chiefs have been criticised for failing to select black players who can act as role models for the majority population.
The delay of the West Indies side arriving in South Africa caused the postponement of the first match against Nicky Oppenheimer’s XI, a fund-raising game due to start on Tuesday.
The opening first-class match will be against Griqualand West on Saturday, with the first Test starting on November 26.
Cricket lovers in South Africa will be relieved that Lara will be at the helm of the tour. South African television, meanwhile, insisted it was a must to have the Trinidadian left-hander playing in their country.
The prospective attendances for the series are estimated at 300000, with all the one-day games being sell-outs. — AFP
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