Cricket: ICC 'has thrown teams at the mercy of the market'

Bennett King says a one-week lead-in to the first ODI "is right on the cusp of not being ready". Picture / Dean Purcell

West Indies coach Bennett King has taken a swipe at the International Cricket Council's Future Tours Programme (FTP), suggesting it favours the richest nations and leaves the rest at the mercy of the market.

The West Indian party touched down yesterday afternoon following a four-day expedition that spanned three time zones, leaving Bennett doubtful about his team's chances of recovering before the first ODI next weekend.

Replying to a question, Bennett said he was not happy with the schedule but there was nothing that could be done under the terms of the FTP, as arriving early would have increased the financial burden on his side's cash-strapped board.

"That's how it goes and we can't do much about it," he said. "We, like New Zealand, suffer under the conditions of the Future Tours Programme in terms of our finances. We've had to fly for a long time to get here, and a week lead-in to the first game is right on the cusp of not being ready.

"It would be much better to have been here with a two-week lead-in, but if we did that we'd have to pay for it ourselves."

King's comments follow similar concern from last month's Sri Lankan tourists, who claimed they were still feeling the effects of their long-haul journey when they turned out for the opening one-dayer at Queenstown.

Better-heeled cricket nations such as Australia, England, India and South Africa tend to be involved in more bilateral or high-profile series, often with more considered lead-in periods before the opening international.

But the West Indies have more than acclimatisation on their minds as they approach Thursday's Twenty20 contest at Auckland and the opening one-dayer at the Cake Tin on Saturday.

For a start, they haven't played a one-dayer since last August and so have not yet played under the experimental rules regarding supersubs and powerplays.

And their recent record is not flash; 15 losses from their past 17 completed ODIs, and 12 defeats in 15 tests.

Skipper Shiv Chanderpaul said the results had weighed heavily on the team but the players were still buoyant about their chances in New Zealand and were optimistic.

"It's been a tough time for us but this is a new tour and we've got to put the past behind us and keep looking forward," he said.

"We've got a bunch of young fellas here and they're all excited about the series and hopefully they can live up to their true potential and go and play some good cricket."