Cricket West Indies (CWI) on Friday announced a 25% pay cut for its international players as part of a series of measures aimed at dealing with financial constraints. The move is feared to trigger the exodus of more top-performing cricketers in the region towards T20 franchise leagues.
Despite the reduction in pay, international players will continue to remain on 12-month contracts. However, domestic players will see their retainer contracts reduced to seven months.
CWI has also suspended this year's Men's Super50 and Women's T20 Blaze tournaments as part of its cost-cutting measures. The board said the move will also allow it to focus on preparing its main ODI players for the 2027 World Cup Qualifiers and the World Cup.
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The Women's Super50 will be replaced next year by a Best v Best development tournament.
Meanwhile, the WI Cricket Championships, West Indies' four-day First-Class tournament, will continue with the same bilateral-series format as this year, featuring 12 matches.
CWI CEO Chris Dehring noted in a statement. “We must also now manage the advent of cricket's return to the Olympic Games in Los Angeles in 2028 and its debut in next year's Pan American Games in Lima, Peru,”
“We also need to reshape our domestic season to incorporate new qualification tournaments which will see individual countries like Jamaica, Barbados, St. Lucia, etc., that make up Cricket West Indies, now having the opportunity to bring more gold, silver and bronze glory to the Caribbean.” he added.
“Faced with this reality, we have taken the decision to redirect scarce resources to programmes that are more impactful and cost-effective, with longer-lasting benefits to West Indies cricket in the medium and long term,” Dehring concluded.
CWI Secures $16 Million ICC Loan
As part of its efforts to manage the financial situation, CWI has also secured a US$16 million loan from the International Cricket Council (ICC).
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The loan will be made available in three tranches over the next year, subject to conditions and performance metrics.
The West Indies men's ODI team is in India for a three-match ODI series against India, starting on Sunday, September 27, in Thiruvananthapuram. The 50-over series will be followed by a five-match T20I series, which will begin on October 6.
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