linkINTERNATIONAL cricket boards risk retribution if they collude to block uncontracted players competing in domestic Twenty20 tournaments, chief players' advocate Tim May has warned.
The dispute between the West Indies Cricket Board and three key players over their refusal to accept central contracts escalated yesterday when contract rebel Chris Gayle was stripped of the Test captaincy and fellow rebel Dwayne Bravo removed as vice-captain, although the pair kept their places in the team.
All three players featured in Australia's Twenty20 Big Bash tournament last season and are contracted for the coming season too: Gayle for Western Australia, Pollard for South Australia and Bravo for Victoria. Cricket Australia said this month it would only allow the trio to play in this summer's Big Bash if they arrived in Australia with the blessing of the WICB - which could still occur.
CA's view that any overseas player wanting to play in one of its competitions must possess a no-objection certificate from their home board, rankled May, chief executive of the Federation of International Cricketers' Associations.
''[Current regulations] cannot be relied upon when players don't have a contractual relationship with a member board, or one of their domestic teams,'' May told The Herald. ''Simply, the home board does not have any jurisdiction over the player, and if it refuses to grant a NOC then we believe that board may face legal action for an unreasonable restraint of trade.
''The home board may try to adopt a position of saying, 'Look, we are not in a position to either provide one or not to provide one because we have no jurisdiction here' … then we have a situation of CA being put in a very difficult position. If they try to say that the player can't play until a NOC is received from West Indies Cricket Board, knowing that WICB simply has no jurisdiction over the player … then CA may face legal action from the players for an unreasonable restraint of trade.''
This is heating up nicely..lets see what happens..