Cricket: Ill feeling grows despite possible return of Lara

West Indies skipper Brian Lara's chances of playing in the second cricket test against South Africa have increased after a breakthrough in the dispute over individual endorsements.

Cable & Wireless, who sponsor Lara and the six other players who were omitted from the first test which started on Thursday, have agreed to conditionally release them from their contracts.

Lara, together with Ramnaresh Sarwan, Chris Gayle, Dwayne Smith, Dwayne Bravo, Ravi Rampaul and Fidel Edwards, were all left out because their endorsements conflicted with the West Indies Cricket Board's (WICB) main sponsor Digicel.

However, despite optimism that Cable & Wireless' offer could speed the return of the seven players to the team, the dispute has created intense ill feeling between the West Indies Players Association (WIPA) and the WICB.

In a statement from WIPA, president Dinanath Ramnarine labelled the WICB "despotic and tyrannical" and said that players had been put under enormous pressure, including receiving death threats.

"The players have taken the struggle as far as they can but now face overwhelming pressure including death threats, and threats from the WICB never to play again, threats and intimidation from sponsors and pressure from highest political levels within the length and breadth of the Caribbean community," he said.

The WICB called Ramnarine's accusations irresponsible, with corporate communications manager Leonard Robertson saying: "The WICB is concerned about the tone and content of this highly emotional and totally inaccurate statement, which is most unbecoming and unworthy of an organisation representing professional sportsmen. "

Lara was invited by the WICB to play in the first test in Georgetown, but he declined the offer to show solidarity with the other players, two of whom, Sarwan and Gayle, cancelled their Cable & Wireless contracts on Wednesday, albeit too late for them to be included in the first test.

Cable & Wireless announced on Thursday that it fully supported a WICB proposal for a further review of its personal endorsement contracts by adjudicator Justice Adrian Saunders.

"Cable & Wireless has taken the decision to release the players from their obligations to the company so as to remove every obstacle to their immediate eligibility for selection to the West Indies team," the company said in a statement.

"In order to help relieve the time pressure for this review imposed by the start of the second test with South Africa, Cable & Wireless said it will release its contracted players from their obligations to the company until such a time as Justice Saunders completes his adjudication and delivers his rulings, " the statement added.

Cable & Wireless added that it would be immediately available to work with all parties to establish "acceptable rules of engagement" should Justice Saunders confirm their view that the players' contracts do not infringe on the rights of the team sponsor.

It also said it was willing to adjust terms of the contracts if they are found to be problematic.

"Moreover, if the adjudicator finds that the contracts are not in the nature of individual endorsements, Cable & Wireless will unconditionally release the players, if they so desire, " the statement added.

WICB media liaison officer Imran Khan told reporters the Cable & Wireless proposal was with the board's lawyers.

The second test will be played in Trinidad, Lara's home country, from April 8.

- REUTERS