The announcement is made in the midst of West Indies cricket players’ increasing involvement in profitable franchise leagues around the world, which has long threatened the national teams’ stability.
The CWI announced that nine West Indies cricket players, including women’s T20I captain Hayley Matthews and her deputy Shemaine Campbelle, pace sensation Shamar Joseph, and vice-captain Alzarri Joseph, were given multi-year contracts for the following two years.
Six men’s cricket players who were given contracts by Cricket West Indies based on their performance during the 2023–2024 evaluation period were among the fifteen who were given contracts.
Three of the senior women’s players received multi-year contracts.
The stability of the national teams has long been threatened by the West Indies cricketers’ increasing involvement in lucrative franchise leagues around the world, which coincides with the announcement.The West Indies’ international teams have been severely damaged by the exodus of talent to foreign T20 competitions; consequently, the CWI has decided to give multi-year contracts in an attempt to bolster its finances and keep players on the team for longer.
The action takes place in response to a four-year Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that the West Indies Players Association (WIPA) and CWI agreed in January 2024.
According to CWI director of cricket Miles Bascombe, “CWI has committed to maintaining open and honest dialogue with players and being practical about the realities of the modern game.”
