WICB, WIPA agree on joint awards

Port of Spain (Trinidad), June 16 (IANS/CMC):

The West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) and the West Indies Players Association (WIPA) have decided to jointly stage the 2013 players’ awards ceremony.

Previously known as the WIPA Awards, the West Indies Annual Awards Function will be organised jointly by WIPA and WICB and held July 4 in here, according to WICB director Baldath Mahabir, reports CMC.

“This move by both bodies is welcome at this time in world cricket,” Mahabir told the Trinidad Guardian newspaper.

“The function will be held at the same time when India and Sri Lanka are playing in Trinidad, so the world will see that the WICB and WIPA are now united. They would have seen in the recent past with different administrations on both sides that they were at loggerheads.”

“The guys that are here now want to work together for the betterment of the game in the Caribbean and this is a major step forward in achieving that goal. This function and coming together of both bodies will augur well for the future of West Indies cricket.”

WICB president Whycliffe Cameron said that repairing the strained relationship between the board and its players will be a priority agenda issue for his administration.

The WICB and WIPA will fund the awards function and to help offset some of the expenses they have decided to sell tickets for companies to attend the function.