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WIPA slams Sarwan's contract exclusion

The WIPA has "condemned" the exclusion of Ramnaresh Sarwan from the WICB's list of contracted players, and has questioned the board's reasoning behind the decision

Cricinfo staff
14-Sep-2010
Injury prone: Ramnaresh Sarwan pulled a hamstring during an ODI against South Africa in May  •  Getty Images

Injury prone: Ramnaresh Sarwan pulled a hamstring during an ODI against South Africa in May  •  Getty Images

The West Indies Players' Association (WIPA) has "condemned" Ramnaresh Sarwan's exclusion from the WICB's list of contracted players, and has questioned the board's reasoning behind the decision. The WICB said it had cut Sarwan because of concerns about his attitude to fitness. According to a WIPA release, Sarwan's recent injuries had occurred while playing for West Indies and that he had shown initiative in trying to recover quickly, following all directions issued by the board.
According to WIPA, Sarwan had been informed by the WICB chief executive, Ernest Hilaire, of the board's concerns about his attitude to fitness following a report on West Indies' tour of Australia in November 2009. Neither the players' association nor Sarwan, however, had seen the report. According to the WIPA, in a letter dated January 11, the board said it was not highlighting specific incidents illustrating its concerns about Sarwan but only wanted to sensitize him to the problem.
In its reply to the WICB, the players' association had asked for specific instances when Sarwan did not meet the standards demanded, and wanted the batsman to be given an opportunity to state his case. No reply had so far been received by the WIPA.
The players' association also highlighted that Sarwan's recent injuries had occurred while on West Indies duty - a back problem during the tour of Australia, and a hamstring injury in the home series against South Africa earlier this year. It also outlined the measures Sarwan had taken on his own initiative and expense - undergoing treatment in Florida and Canada - to recover from the injuries. The WIPA also said that there had been no complaints from the team management about Sarwan's attitude or his commitment to training in the past and during the series against Australia and South Africa.
Sarwan, however, had said that he was expecting the setback but that the disappointment would not affect his focus in leading Guyana's ongoing Champions League Twenty20 campaign in South Africa.