Club vs Country | Sourav Ganguly slams West Indies players, Board

When Virat Kohli and co bowled out the Windies cheaply at the Sabina park in Jamaica on Saturday, one big man was missing in the opposite side - Jamaica’s own son Chris Gayle. A feud between the players and the West Indies Cricket Board has led to most of the senior players playing only in the shorter formats. But, Gayle along with other Windies stars like Sunil Narine, Dwayne Bravo, Andre Russell and Kieron Pollard are playing in the ongoing Caribbean Premier League (CPL), which is conducted by the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB). With the home side producing a lacklustre performance in the Test series, the CPL and the WICB have come under fire for holding the T20 tourney during the Test series.

"I think it is the ICC's job to make sure this is happening (that best players represent the country at Test level) but I do not think ICC has control over these T20 leagues. We hold our IPL and we make sure the Indian Team is not playing anywhere else in the world so that is why the players are available for the IPL and players are then available to play for India. So I think there needs to be a window in West Indies cricket as well where they can do this Caribbean Premier League for two weeks or three weeks and make sure that by the time the Test cricket season starts it is over... like the Australians do in the Big Bash and the Big Bash they play during the season but they make sure that the Test players are playing Test cricket for Australia.

Ganguly also added that he understands why players are keen on playing in the T20 tourney, but the Board should take the responsibility to increase the pay for the longer format.

I also consider it as maturity on the part of the players as I think country always comes first but that is not the case in the Caribbean."

“The fact of the matter is that they get paid four times for playing in these premier leagues than in Test cricket. I think that is where ICC needs to come in because the likes of Gayle, Russell, Bravo and Pollard who are automatic choices in this squad don't get picked for the West Indies and the reason is that if they are getting about 2000 dollars to play for the West Indies, in the same period they get about a million dollars for playing in the T20 leagues. So, I think it is the balances of the finances," he explained.

India are currently leading the four-match Test series 1-0 and are on course to win the second Test at Jamaica with three more days remaining in the game.