West Indies cricket to be crippled by India damages bill
The future of West Indies cricket is in jeopardy with the Board of Control for Cricket in India reportedly preparing to claim damages of at least $US65 million ($82 million) over lost earnings from the abandoned tour.
The West Indians packed their bags and left India last week after a pay dispute between the players and the West Indies Cricket Board could not be resolved.
In addition to a potential damages claim, India is now likely to snub their next scheduled tour of the West Indies in 2016.
"It will be very difficult to play West Indies in bilateral series in future," BCCI secretary Sanjay Patel told Reuters.
"They have to demonstrate the willingness that such situations never happen again.
"I would say that India's next tour of West Indies is highly unlikely to go ahead in the current situation.
"Whatever the dispute, they should have honoured the bilateral agreement.
"We have suffered huge losses and the ICC is our parent body and we are going to ask them to ensure that this never happens in the future."
The BCCI, meanwhile, announced it had finalised a five-match one-day series against Sri Lanka between November 1 and 15 to replace the cancelled West Indies tour.
"The BCCI wishes to thank Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) for its swift response and for extending its support to ensure that the international cricket season is not curtailed," a statement from the BCCI said.
The exact schedule and venues for the hastily-arranged series will be announced shortly.
Former West Indies fast bowler Michael Holding, working as a TV commentator in India, said abandoning the tour was "ridiculous".
Speaking before the WICB's latest statement, Holding told Sky TV: "I have never seen anything like this happen in the past and I do not understand why the West Indies Cricket Board have taken this stance.
"They are not trying to sort the problem out, they have just decided to take their bat and ball and go home - and that is ridiculous."
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