Mediation talks break down

Talks to resolve the month long contract dispute between the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) and senior players ended without an agreement yesterday.



A statement from the Guyana-based Caribbean Community, which was asked to mediate the dispute, said the situation changed dramatically when one party introduced an entirely new document and refused to negotiate any other.



The statement did not indicate whether it was the board or the players.



The Caribbean Community appointed former Commonwealth secretary general Sir Shridath Ramphaul in July to deal with the ongoing problems between the WICB and players association.



Senior players, including captain Chris Gayle and star batsmen Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Ramnaresh Sarwan and Dwayne Bravo, went on strike in July on the eve of the home test series against Bangladesh after negotiations with the board broke down.



A second-string side lost a test and the series to Bangladesh for the first time.



The leading players ended their boycott before the one-day international series, but they were overlooked, and Bangladesh swept the one-dayers. The second-string players were also retained for the Champions Trophy in South Africa this month.