Guyana Test in doubt due to tussle

The tussle between the West Indies board and the Guyana government has put the Providence Test against Australia in doubt. The WICB shifted the first four rounds of the domestic first-class tournament out of Guyana and said that a call on the Test, scheduled for late April, will be taken later.

The decisions come after the executive committee of the WICB's board of directors had a teleconference on Saturday evening to try and resolve the impasse surrounding Guyana cricket.

Earlier this month, the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) was locked out of its premises by the Guyana government, which appointed an Interim Management Committee (IMC) headed by Clive Lloyd to govern the sport in the country because the July 2011 GCB elections were being disputed. The WICB refused to recognise the IMC, and the stalemate, it was feared, would prevent Guyana from competing in the Caribbean T20 earlier this month, though that did not happen.

Both the GCB and the IMC had submitted teams to take part in the regional four-day competition, which begins on Friday. The WICB announced that Guyana's first two matches will be played at Windsor Park in Dominica, and that a decision on the venue of the next two rounds will be taken later.

The WICB said in a press release that it was yet to hear from the Guyana government regarding an agreement document that was drafted on January 10 after a meeting between the West Indies board, the GCB and the Guyana government.

Australia arrive in the West Indies in early March and round off a series of five ODIs, two T20s and three Tests with a Test in Providence starting on April 23.