NEW DELHI: The International Cricket Council (ICC) said on Wednesday it was concerned at the stand-off between the Indian and West Indies boards, but would not intervene unless asked by the two parties.

In a statement on its website, the world governing body said it was ‘closely monitoring the developments’ which would be discussed at the ICC’s Executive Board meeting in Dubai on Nov 10.

The ICC, the statement said, is “concerned with the dispute between the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) and it was closely monitoring the developments arising from the recently cancelled tour of India.

“The ICC hopes that the matter will be resolved amicably, but clarified that, unless the matter is otherwise referred to it, it does not have the power to intervene in disputes resulting from a bilateral Future Tours Program (FTP) tour.”

The ICC said it would not comment further on the matter until the board meeting.

The West Indies cut short their tour last week because of an internal pay dispute, even though the fifth One-day International, a Twenty20 match and three Tests still remained to be played.

India retaliated by freezing all future tours to the Caribbean, starting with the one in February and March 2016 to play three Tests, five one-dayers and a Twenty20 International.

The WICB, meanwhile, will ask for a meeting with their Indian counterparts as they seek to find a way out of the crisis.

Hours after the powerful BCC) announced they would take legal action against the WICB, officials gathered at a beachside hotel in Bridgetown on Tuesday to deal with the fallout.

After a seven-hour meeting, the WICB issued a statement that was clearly designed to appeal to the BCCI and which did not include any sanctions against players who had quit the tour.

“The West Indies Cricket Board regrets, and is deeply embarrassed, by the premature and unfortunate end to the recent tour of India,” the statement read.

“The WICB once again expresses to the BCCI and all stakeholders — especially the cricket-loving public of the West Indies and India — sorrow for the events leading up to this development.

“The WICB believes a way can be found to repair the damage that has been caused and to ensure similar events do not recur, with the focus being on the betterment of West Indies and world cricket,” the statement added.

As well as requesting a meeting with the BCCI, the West Indies board said they had set up a task force to examine the cause of the tour’s collapse.

The WICB also vowed to “assure Cricket South Africa that it will use its best endeavours to ensure a successful tour of South Africa as scheduled”.

The first of three Tests against South Africa is due to start on Dec 17.

Grenada’s Prime Minister Keith Mitchell on Tuesday publicly offered his services as a mediator and said the crisis was bad for the entire Caribbean.

“It is a bit frightening for the region, not just for sport, but for our people, our economies on the whole,” he added.

The situation has caused dismay in a region where, despite disappointing performances, there remains a great passion for cricket and pride in West Indies’s past achievements.

There appears little sympathy for any of the disputing parties but former pace bowler Michael Holding put the blame at the feet of the WICB.

“The problem with West Indies is that the WICB always pushes things to the brink and waits till the last moment,” said Holding, now a television commentator.

Published in Dawn, October 23rd, 2014