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Grenada Prime Minister Dr Keith Mitchell

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (CMC): Grenada's Prime Minister Dr Keith Mitchell says he is prepared to act as a mediator in the ongoing pay dispute between West Indies players and their representative, the West Indies Players' Association (WIPA) that led the one-day team to abandon their tour of India last week.

His comments come as West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) directors prepare to meet today in an emergency meeting, to assess the fallout from the players' unprecedented move.

"I don't understand this one, I assume all the facts are not available. I can't believe what appears to be an on-the-surface issue is really the issue, there must be something more significant than this, otherwise, something is not right," Prime Minister Mitchell said.

Mitchell, an ardent cricket fan, who once chaired the Caribbean Community prime ministerial subcommittee on cricket, said the players are all aware of his passion for the game and would be prepared to do everything to ensure an amicable solution to the impasse.

"They (cricketers) know my passion for the game itself and how much I have shown interest in the players' development and cricket as a whole and again as being prime minister, I have an interest in regional development," he said.

"So on all sides of the equation I am deeply concerned, so anything I am asked to do with a clear understanding what the issues are, certainly I would not remove myself, but I would have to be clear on this and be asked by the parties involved to intervene in any serious way," Mitchell said.

The WICB met in a hastily arranged teleconference last Friday hours following the players' decision, and will now meet here to decide on the way forward, especially with the threat of a multimillion dollar lawsuit hanging over its head.

Upset over WIPA's refusal to renege on the recently signed Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) with the WICB, West Indies players walked out of the tour following the fourth one-day international in Dharamsala last Friday.

They have claimed that the new agreement results in a drastic reduction in their earnings and have called for the resignation of WIPA president and chief executive, Wavell Hinds, as well as a return to the terms of the old CBA.

Mitchell described the action as a "big shock for himself and cricket loving people in the region.

"We thought that the team having left and knew what their business was about in making the region proud by their performance and playing to the best of their ability," he said.

"We thought that is what we were going to see. I can't understand when I heard there were difficulties with contracts. To me that should have been settled before they left and what's why it has become a major shock."