Samuels' letter was leaked to website - WICB

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (CMC):

A controversial letter, written by West Indies middle-order batsman Marlon Samuels to team manager Mike Findlay on what he says has been discrimination suffered at practice sessions during the current tour of England, was leaked to a regional website.

That is the view of West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) chief executive officer, Bruce Aanensen, in response to questions from CMC Sport on the issue after the letter appeared on the independent website, Caribbeancricket.com last weekend.

Sent to the media

"I can shed the light that the letter was leaked to the media. The letter was written to the tour manager by Marlon Samuels. It was copied to the president of the board (Ken Gordon) who at the time was in the United States and it was also copied to Mr. (Dinanath) Ramnarine (president and CEO) at WIPA," Aanensen said.

"The (WICB) president never saw the letter until maybe two days after it was sent. Mike Findlay received the letter and he told me he discussed it with no one.

"When it appeared in the media, he asked Marlon if he gave a copy of it to the media. Marlon said he did no such thing. So I have no idea how that letter got in the media if the persons concerned did not give a copy of it to the media," Aanensen asserted.

In the letter, the outspoken Samuels accused West Indies' former coach Bennett King, and his replacement, fellow Australian David Moore, of not giving him sufficient time in the nets.

"At our first net session since I arrived in England, I was told by coach David Moore to start the fielding session, then I was asked to bowl in the nets which I happily did," Samuels wrote.

"However, I was not given an opportunity to bat until after all the other batsmen and bowlers [had] batted. At this time, the net bowlers were very tired and unable to bowl properly and you would understand that. Since I only recently arrived, it is important for me to get an equal chance to acclimatise and prepare myself for the Test match if given the opportunity."

ZIMBABWE TOUR IN DOUBT

Meanwhile, the West Indies 'A' team's tour of Zimbabwe was thrown into doubt yesterday after the West Indies Players' Association (WIPA) said it would not agree to the proposed move.

In a release, the players union said it had informed the WICB that it could not agree to the tour because of concerns over players' safety.

WIPA reminded the board earlier this week that under the Memorandum of Understanding between the two parties, a tour could not go ahead unless there was agreement.

"WIPA is indeed sensitive to the obvious disappointment players selected (especially those who may have been chosen for the first time) would feel at the cancellation of the tour," Dinanath Ramnarine, WIPA's president and chief executive, said. "However, we want to assure the Board that we will give every consideration to a similar tour in more favourable circumstances."