Carib Beer girls - a thing of the past? © Getty Images

West Indies cricket is facing a grim end to the year if reports in the Trinidad Guardian, that Carib Beer is set to ditch its sponsorship of the Caribbean's first-class tournament, turn out to be true.

The news would be another blow to the West Indies Cricket Board which is already without a sponsor for its one-day competition and is also contemplating the loss of millions of dollars after falling out with Allen Stanford. On top of that, despite protestations to the contrary, it is widely believed that the board is facing a serious cash crisis.

Carib Beer has been sponsor for the past six years, but an unnamed source told the newspaper that the company had decided to withdraw. Given the tournament is scheduled to start early in the New Year, it seems unlikely a replacement will be found at such short notice.

The region's one-day series, which concluded last month, took place without any sponsor after KFC withdrew its support.