West Indies cricket board sacks coach following defeat to Bangladesh

October 12th, 2009 LONDON - England captain Andrew Strauss has hinted that he may give a miss to team's Bangladesh tour next year. Strauss, 32, has played nonstop cricket since taking over from Kevin Pietersen in January this year.

October 10th, 2009 LAHORE - The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is against playing its matches in India during the 2011 World Cup, and has reportedly asked the International Cricket Council (ICC) to shift its matches to Sri Lanka or Bangladesh. Sources said PCB chief Ijaz Butt, during the recent ICC executive board meeting, had apprised the game's governing body regarding its stance.

October 7th, 2009 JOHANNESBURG - India have been clubbed with South Africa and England among seven countries in Group B for the 2011 cricket World Cup. West Indies, Bangladesh, Ireland and Netherlands are the other teams in the group, it was announced by International Cricket Council (ICC) here Wednesday.

October 7th, 2009 JOHANNESBURG - With the hope of reviving international cricket in the country, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has started lobbying during the ongoing ICC chief executives' meeting in Johannesburg. The PCB has once again pinned its hope on Sri Lanka for the resumption of international cricket in Pakistan.

September 23rd, 2009 SYDNEY - Skipper Ricky Ponting is worried at the prospect of facing an under strength West Indies side during the opening game of the Champions Trophy, which would be followed by the start of the Australian cricket season against the same team. The Australians' opening pool game of the Champions Trophy is against a Windies line-up severely weakened by a contract dispute, which will give the world champions a look at what side could arrive this November.

September 12th, 2009 SYDNEY - CEO of Cricket Australia (CA) James Sutherland has said that CA has started exploring emergency plans ahead of their series against West Indies, following the possibility of West Indies sending a third-rate team. Sutherland said they are worried, as the dispute between West Indies Cricket Board and its senior players shows no signs of ending.

September 4th, 2009 PORT OF SPAIN - As talks to resolve a two-month dispute between the West Indies Cricket Board and senior players ended without an agreement, an unknown batsman with a Test average of nine could possibly lead the team against Australia. Floyd Reifer, who has a Test average of 9.25, may lead the West Indies this summer, as twelve senior players, including captain Chris Gayle and star batsman Shivnarine Chanderpaul, went on strike in July on the eve of the home test series against Bangladesh after negotiations with the board broke down.

September 2nd, 2009 PORT OF SPAIN - Talks have broken down between the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) and the West Indies Players' Association (WIPA) over the controversial players' contracts and both parties have opted for arbitration to resolve the issue. WICB vice president Dave Cameron said 10 days of tough negotiations under mediator Shridath Ramphal had failed to find a solution to the dispute.

August 14th, 2009 PORT OF SPAIN - Australian John Dyson has been axed as the West Indies head cricket coach. Assistant coach David Williams will fill the vacant head coach role for the upcoming Champions Trophy tournament in South Africa.

July 25th, 2009 BRIDGETOWN - The West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) Saturday said they will stick to the original 30-man squad for the Champions Trophy despite the availability of their frontline players following a truce between the board and the players association. West Indies' top players had refused to play in the just concluded two-Test series against Bangladesh in a dispute with the WICB over pay and contract issues.

July 22nd, 2009 BRIDGETOWN - The stand-off between the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) and the players' association, over pending contracts, is all set to end after both the parties agreed to immediate mediation and with the revolting players making themselves available for selection. The agreement was reached at a meeting in Georgetown with CARICOM (Caribbean Community) chairman and Guyana president Bharrat Jagdeo.

July 17th, 2009 BARBADOS - The West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) has come down hard on rebel players by suspending their retainership contracts and asked them to reply within ten days why they breached the board's code of conduct by boycotting the first Test against Bangladesh. The West Indies Players' Association (WIPA) was also quick to react Thursday and said that the players could not breach contractual obligations because they had not entered into an agreement with the WICB.

July 12th, 2009 KINGSTON - The crisis in West Indies cricket deepened with the board saying that the second-string side currently playing in the Test series against Bangladesh would be considered for selection for September's Champions Trophy. "This ensures that there will always be a solid pool of approximately 29 contracted players from which to draw for the board's future tour commitments," West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) said in a statement.

July 6th, 2009 ST LUCIA - West Indies cricketers skipped the launch of the World Twenty20 here indicating another showdown with the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB). Chris Gayle and his boys were notable absentees at the Beausejour Stadium Saturday night during the programme, which was attended by WICB president Julian Hunte, International Cricket Council (ICC) chief-executive Haroon Lorgat, the Indian cricket team and backup staff of the West Indies cricket team.

June 23rd, 2009 DHAKA - Bangladesh Tuesday named fast bowler Mashrafe Mortaza as captain of the national team, replacing Mohammad Ashraful, for the cricket tours of West Indies and Zimbabwe. The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) said the move was aimed at relieving the burden on Ashraful and allow him to focus on his batting.