ST JOHN’S (Antigua), April 2: The seven cricket players, including Brian Lara dropped by West Indies Cricket Board over ongoing sponsorship row have received death threats, according to West Indies Players Association boss Dinanath Ramnarine.

“The players face overwhelming pressure including death threats and threats from WICB never to play again,” Ramnarine said. He also accused the WICB of being “tyrannical and despotic”.

Ramnaresh Sarwan and Chris Gayle ceded to WICB’s demands and ended their personal deals with Cable & Wireless.

Cable & Wireless, a competitor of team sponsor Digicel, announced on Friday it would release other five players from their obligations until an independent adjudicator delivers his binding verdict on the dispute.

Justice Adrian Saunders had been asked by WICB to make his ruling by end of first Test against South Africa, which is featuring a vastly depleted West Indies side.

WICB is of the view that this “irresponsible” statement is unworthy of any further response.

But Cable & Wireless said it wanted to “relieve the time pressure for this review” and thus make Brian Lara, Fidel Edwards, Dwayne Bravo, Dwayne Smith and Ravi Rampaul available for second Test.

The move injects a welcome dose of common sense to a bitter dispute which has driven a stake into the heart of Caribbean cricket.

Ramnarine went on to say the players were subjected to “threats and intimidation from sponsors and pressure from the highest political levels within the length and breadth of the Caribbean community”.

Digicel deal, worth approximately $10.5 million, is the biggest in West Indies’ history, and in a statement Ramnarine said the WICB was “hell bent at all costs to do the bidding of its sponsor”.

“In fact, the board was prepared to sacrifice West Indies cricket and the development of a successful team on the altar of commercial expediency,” WIPA added.

WICB issued a dismissive response to WIPA’s statement, condemning it as “highly emotional and totally inaccurate”.

“WICB is concerned about the tone and content of this statement, which is most unbecoming and unworthy of an organisation representing professional sportsmen,” it said.

“WICB, therefore, is of the view that this irresponsible statement is unworthy of any further response.”—Agencies