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Cricket Australia chief executive James Sutherland believes fears the West Indies would field a virtually third-string team this summer are easing by the day.
A dispute between the region’s players association and the West Indian board has been played out at length in 2009, resulting in some embarrassing defeats as the likes of 37-year-old Floyd Reifer and a host of unknowns tripped up against Bangladesh among others.
The team remained severely understrength at the recent Champions Trophy in South Africa, but Sutherland said on Tuesday things were starting to look up.
“I was in South Africa the week before last and met a couple of people from West Indies cricket, including their new chief executive,” he told reporters in Brisbane.
“In those conversations and other comments I’ve seen in the last couple of weeks lead me to be more confident than I have been in the previous couple of months about West Indies fielding their best team.
“This is something we’re all very interested in, at the end of the day it’s not something we have a lot of control over.
“We’ve had a look at all sorts of different contingencies that we might be able to roll out in that event, but really when you look at it, we’re in the West Indies board’s and players association’s hands.
“They are under no illusions as to our eagerness to see their best team here.”
Among the most positive developments were the comments of quality all-rounder Dwayne Bravo, who said it was “definite” he and his contemporaries would make themselves available to tour Australia.
Sutherland said he was looking forward to the end of a damaging episode for cricket in the West Indies and around the world.
“Not having the best West Indians playing for West Indies damages West Indies cricket and world cricket, and we’re all very hopeful they resolve their issues and see their best players playing against our best players,” he said.
“The issue is between their board and their players association, I am certainly more optimistic than I have been in previous months.”
The West Indies are due to play three Tests against Australia in Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth in November and December, before returning in February for two Twenty20 matches and five 50-over games.
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