The International Cricket Council (ICC) and all its Member Boards here Sunday decided to take steps to prevent tour cancellations, keeping in mind the recent pullout by the West Indies of their tour of India.
The ICC said it was deeply disappointed with the recent decision of the Windies players to abandon an ongoing international tour without fulfilling the contractually agreed playing obligations between the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
Putting aside the legitimacy or otherwise of any grievances of parties involved -- and which are now the subject of a domestic Task Force probe -- the ICC and all Member Boards said players abandoning tours have the potential to cause irrevocable damage to the sport in the jurisdiction of the relevant Member Board concerned, as well as enormous financial damage, which might adversely affect the financial viability of the sport itself.
With that in mind, and in a show of solidarity, all Member Boards collectively expressed the view that they consider such player action to be extremely disruptive, damaging and unacceptable.
Players who behave in a similar manner in the future will not only risk breaching the disciplinary rules of the relevant Member Board and being sanctioned accordingly, but may also put in jeopardy their ability to conclude future contractual arrangements with domestic franchises or clubs in other jurisdictions.
"It was undoubtedly a sad chapter in our sport. It damaged cricket's integrity and reputation, as well as affecting confidence within the cricket community, especially that of the fans. The ICC Board was determined to address this situation and ensure such incidents never happen again," ICC chairman Narayanaswami Srinivasan said.
"The ICC is working with the concerned Members towards finding a positive resolution and is confident that there will be constructive outcomes for our game."