BCCI may claim hefty damages

Mumbai, Oct. 19: India may scrap their tour of the West Indies in 2016 after the Caribbean team’s abrupt pullout on Friday, said the Board of Control for Cricket in India. The board is also considering a legal action and mulling to claim damages to the tune of approximately ` 400 crore from the West Indies Cricket Board.

The BCCI’s working committee meeting will assemble on Tuesday to discuss the matter, where a final decision will be taken.

Sri Lanka’s acceptance to play a five- ODI series will reduce that damage by five days, but the BCCI intends to recover the

WICB entered into a bilateral agreement with us. So we will have to seek compensation. But, depending on the legal advice, the working committee will decide the future course of action. — SANJAY PATEL,

BCCI secretary

loss of revenue for the remaining 12 days from the WICB.

“We have referred the matter to our legal cell and asked them to let us know by October 21 about how we can pursue the issue legally,” BCCI secretary Sanjay Patel was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo.

“They ( WICB) entered into a bilateral agreement with us, and they abandoned the tour due to their internal issues, so we will have to seek compensation. But, depending on the legal advice, the working committee will decide the future course of action,” he said.

The estimated revenue for each match day during WI’s tour of India was expected to be around ` 33 crore, and for 12 no- play days it multiplies up to ` 396 crore. “It will be very difficult to play West Indies in bilateral series in future. They have to demonstrate the willingness that such situations never happen again,” Patel told a news agency.

“I would say that India’s next tour of the West Indies is highly unlikely to go ahead in the current situation,” added Patel.

The India team are scheduled to tour the Caribbean for three Tests, five ODIs and a Twenty20 match early in 2016.