WIPA wants Beckles removed by May 21

May 21, 2011 is deadline day for the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) to respond to the West Indies Players Association's (WIPA) calls for the immediate resignation or expulsion of director Hilary Beckles from the WICB, following his controversial comments about former team captain Chris Gayle and fellow Jamaican Marlon Samuels.

Beckles came under fire for his likening of Gayle to incarcerated Jamaican strongman, Christopher 'Dudus' Coke, as well as his reference to Samuels as a poor example to the region's youth players; and WIPA is calling on the WICB to respond or risk facing "further steps".

WIPA outlined their grouses in a letter dated May 10, 2011 and president and CEO, Dinanath Ramnarine, believes their concerns are being overlooked, given the lack of a direct response from the region's cricket leaders.

ruffled feathers

In a separate letter which was directed to WICB president, Dr Julian Hunte, and released yesterday, Ramnarine writes:

"This is to remind you that the West Indies Cricket Board Inc (WICB) has not responded to our letter of May 10th, 2011, in which we drew to your attention remarks made by director Hilary Beckles that were disparaging of two of our members, former West Indies (WI) captain, Christopher Gayle, and present Test-squad member and ODI player, Marlon Samuels," the letter read.

During a recent speech on the subject 'Frank Worrell: The Rise and Fall of West Indies Cricket', Beckles ruffled feathers when he declared:

"Frank Worrell is the Father of the Nation, Sobers is the King of Cricket, Clive Lloyd is the Statesman, Richards is the General of the Army, Brian Lara is the Prince, and Chris Gayle is the Don. And these are very interesting images indeed because the movement from the father to the Don and, and those who follow him and his cohort in the team do relate to him as their Don, and he has brought it is said, the Don-manship into how 'tings' operate in the team, and what the West Indies Board is trying to do at the moment is to uproot this Don-manship out of the culture in much the same way that the Jamaican people are trying to uproot Dudus from their politics."

As it relates to Samuels, Beckles said:

"... This West Indies Under-19 team is some interesting collection of very smart and bright young men and there is a different quality of personality at the moment. They do not wish to be like Chris Gayle, they do not wish to be like am, ah, Marlon Samuels ... "

The WICB had actually responded to the situation through a news release, citing that when Beckles made his comments, he was not acting in his capacity as a WICB director.

The release has left the WIPA further infuriated.

"As the accredited and authorised representatives of these two players (and of WI players including members of the Under 19 team), we believe that the WICB, by not replying to our letter before sending out a news release on the subject, has treated our legitimate concerns with considerable disrespect," read Ramnarine's letter.

"We deem the lack of response from the WICB ... sufficient grounds for further action on our part. However, we will give the WICB until May 21, 2011, before taking any further steps in this matter consistent with the agreements between the WICB and WIPA," the letter continued.

Efforts to reach Ramnarine yesterday for further comments or indications of the likely actions proved futile.