Saturday 18 October 2014 00:00, UK
Indian cricket chiefs have insisted the West Indies have called off their tour as a result of a pay dispute with their players.
Following a day of extraordinary back-and-forth statements between the two sets of officials, in which play in the fourth ODI took a back seat, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) said that, despite West Indian denials, the tour was over.
As India won the fourth of what were supposed to be five-one-day internationals by 59 runs in Dharamsala, the board said: "The BCCI would like to clarify that despite all its efforts, the Micromax Cup India vs West Indies ODI series has been curtailed because of the ongoing issue between WICB (West Indies Cricket Board) and its players, and the withdrawal of the WI team from the ongoing tour of India."
The BCCI also issued its own timeline of events which it said had led to the cancellation of the tour.
At the post-match presentation ceremony, West Indies one-day captain Dwayne Bravo appeared to indicate the tour was over as far as he was concerned.
He said: "I've got to give credit to my tired team despite the situation off the field, we still gave it our best effort to try to put cricket first. We went out there, we played our hearts out. Sadly it’s come to an end now.
“To my entire team and the coaching staff, everyone stuck together, despite what’s going on and I want to say thanks to everyone and to the people in India, thanks for coming out and for all the support showed during the tour and we look forward to playing again and representing the West Indies some time soon.”
However, earlier, the WICB had issued a statement on its Facebook page insisting no decision had been taken to call off the tour. It added that a further statement would be made at the end of Friday's match.
"The West Indies Cricket Board advises, that, contrary to media reports, it has taken no decision to discontinue the ongoing tour to India," the statement said.
Earlier, the BCCI said it had been informed by West Indies team manager Richie Richardson that the squad would complete Friday's match but not play any more games - a fifth ODI, a Twenty20 match and three Tests remained on the itinerary.
"The BCCI is shocked and extremely disappointed at the decision taken by the WICB," BCCI secretary Sanjay Patel said in a statement.
"The WICB's inability to resolve internal issues with its players and allowing the same to affect an ongoing bilateral series does not reflect well on any of those involved."
It also announced Sri Lanka would be stepping in to fill the void left by the West Indies' withdrawal by scheduling a five-match ODI series against India, starting on November 1.
Bravo had said before the start of the tour on October 8 that the players had not accepted a payment agreement signed on their behalf by the West Indies Players Association with the WICB.
However, the players took the field for the first two one-dayers in Kochi and New Delhi, while the third match in Visakhapatnam was cancelled due to a severe cyclonic storm that hit India's east coast.