ST JOHN’s, Antigua – On Tuesday (January 26), the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) issued a statement regarding issuing of No Objection Certificates (NOCs) for four players from the region regarding their participation in the new Masters Champion League (MCL)).The NOCs were granted on the basis that the players were well aware of their decisions to retire from international and therefore allowing them to be eligible for participation in the inaugural tournament. The MCL is an approved tournament of the International Cricket Council (ICC) and the rules clearly state that the participants, to be eligible, must have retired from international cricket.
The players who were granted the NOCs are Tino Best, Krishmar Santokie, Fidel Edwards and Shivnarine Chanderpaul, all of who were sent the rules after which they all issued official letters of resignation.
The following is an excerpt of a note from the Operations Department of the WICB
“We wish to advise that the MCL is for players who have announced their retirement from International cricket. Kindly advise by 16:30hrs Eastern Caribbean Time on Saturday January 23, 2016 in writing if you have retired from International cricket. Should you not indicate by the deadline, we will be forced to revoke any NOC, issued for the tournament.”
The Operations Department’s reason for sending that note was to ensure that the players were aware. The tournament has since started and will end on Saturday, February 13. Chanderpaul last played for the West Indies in May 2015 in a series against England in the Caribbean.
In the first Test in Antigua where the game was drawn, Chanderpaul had 46 and 13 runs in the home team’s two innings.
In the second Test in Grenada where England won by nine wickets, he scored 1 and 7 runs in the two innings.
In the third Test in Barbados where West Indies won by 5 wickets, he scored 25 and 0 runs in the two innings.
He was not selected for the Australia series in the Caribbean; the West Indies tour of Sri Lanka or the recently concluded tour of Australia. Chanderpaul now plays with the Guyana Jaguars in the 4-Day PCL and the NAGICO Super50.