WIPA calls for longer first-class season

The West Indies Players Association (WIPA) has suggested the first-class Regional Four Day Competition be extended, as the current tournament format does not prepare players sufficiently for international cricket. The WIPA president Dinanath Ramnarine has said the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) should ensure the tournament consists of two rounds instead of one.

As per the current format, each of the six teams get to play six games each, which Ramnarine said was insufficient. He reiterated the proposal made in the WIPA's 15-Point Development Plan for West Indies cricket: "West Indies first-class season should be made up of two rounds of matches with a minimum of 12 four-day games per year played alongside the international series."

"One round is insufficient in this modern era of cricket. We have seen that in recent years," Ramnarine was quoted in the WIPA's official website. "There are complaints from all quarters about the players playing too much limited-overs cricket and there is some validity to that. As such we are adamant that the four-day tournament should be two rounds in order to better prepare the players for international Test cricket."

He said the Memorandum of Understanding between the WICB and the WIPA requires both parties to come to an agreement on the schedules before releasing them. However, the WICB drafted the schedule without consulting them. Ramnarine said he was willing to meet the WICB "as soon as possible to review the proposed schedule and agree a final schedule in the best interest of the development of West Indies cricket."

There were similar calls from the Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board and Joel Garner, the current West Indies team manager, to have a longer first-class season.