5 biggest controversies in West Indies cricketÂ
As far as great cricketing entities are concerned, there are very few who can match up to the legacy and achievements of the West Indies.
It is not even a real nation, but the way cricketers from different Caribbean islands (nations in their own right) have come together to create a cricket culture of such significance is a wonder of the world.
On the other hand, the way they dominated world cricket from the late 1970s through to the early 1990s is unprecedented. West Indies did not lose a single Test series in 15 years and that is a feat that has never been bettered.
Additionally, the cricketers they produced, won with the sort of dominance that further endeared them to cricket fans.
However, like most cricketing nations, West Indian cricket has also gone through its fair share of controversies and like it is the case with other international teams, the nature of the controversies has varied over the years.
This is a look at five of the biggest controversies that West Indian cricket has ever been involved in.
#5 Grounded in London
Pay disputes and West Indian cricket perhaps go hand in hand these days but that was not always the case, which is why the events of November 1998 will always be remembered as a pivotal point in the history of pay disputes.
West Indies were scheduled to go on a full tour of South Africa in 1998 but in the lead up to the series, the players had made certain demands regarding tour payments, allowance and travel arrangements. It seemed that everything would eventually be sorted out when the players left for South Africa but it was evidently not the case.
The West Indian cricketers, led by captain Brian Lara and vice-captain Carl Hooper stayed put at London and refused to travel to South Africa.
In their exasperation, the West Indies Cricket Board fired both as the tour was sent into jeopardy and sponsors were angry at the developments.
However, after a few days of negotiations, a solution was reached and the players traveled to South Africa. Lara was reinstated as captain and the pay dispute was resolved. West Indies went on to lose the Test series 5-0.