Port of Spain
The West Indies Cricket Board’s move to levy “release fees” on Caribbean players seeking to take part in overseas Twenty20 tournaments has already been accepted by Bangladesh and India.
This is according to a WICB media release yesterday that also defended the policy of levying a charge for the granting of a No Objection Certificate (NOC) for West Indian cricketers seeking a release to participate in leagues outside the jurisdiction of the West Indies.
The fee will be an amount equivalent to 20 per cent of the player fee (as defined in the player contract) that is actually paid to the relevant player.
The WICB said that a portion of the funds derived from these release fees will also go back to the clubs and franchises/territories, in recognition of the role they played in developing the player and as an incentive for them to continuously expose new cricket talent.
The Board also revealed that earlier this year it distributed player production fees to all the territories/franchises and clubs from which players came. Those payments were for players’ participation in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2013 – 2015.
WICB CEO Michael Muirhead confirmed that Bangladesh and India had already agreed to the new policy and as of Monday, the WICB was still awaiting responses from some of the other ICC Members, including South Africa.
In defending the levy, the WICB stated that “having invested in developing a player’s talent, is not able to realise a return on its investment if the player is not available to play in local tournaments, which would allow lesser experienced players the opportunity to face more experienced and skilled opposition, thereby improving on the standard and competitiveness of the domestic tournament.”
“In addition, the player is unavailable to mentor and develop younger players and to otherwise contribute to the overall growth of the game and its development infrastructure,” the WICB media release stated.
“It has become a system that disadvantages nations like the West Indies which have traditionally developed players who are particularly skilled in the shortest format of the game. In the end, it compromises the standard of the WICB’s international team and that team’s performance internationally. The primacy of international cricket is threatened (Article 32A, ICC Regulations),” it added.
The WICB also recognised that the policy decision could result in reciprocal agreements from other Full Member boards for obtaining NOCs for their players. However, it stated: “We view this approach as necessary to preserve the best interests of West Indies cricket at both domestic and international levels. It is our expectation too, that the accumulation of these fees will facilitate the offer of contracts to additional players.”
“The WICB is in the process of discussions with the various Full Members as to the other boards’ acceptance of that position. The dialogue is ongoing and we wait on official word. In addition to India, Bangladesh has also agreed to the release fees. The practice is also used in other jurisdictions like England,” the release concluded.