Cricket: Haynes, WICB Settle 'Eligibility' Lawsuit

The West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) has settled its long-running legal dispute with Desmond Haynes, a move that clears the way for the former opening batsman to play a more prominent role in the region's cricket development.

Details of the settlement -- believed to be north of US$50,000 -- remains shrouded in secrecy and the WICB is flatly refusing to discuss the matter. "The matter has been settled. There will be no other comment," board spokesman Leonard Robertson said in response to a query from CaribbeanCricket.com.

The dispute was triggered in 1995 when the WICB's controversial eligibility rule was used to exclude the Barbadian batsmen from the home series against Australia. Haynes, who was 39 at the time, had missed one match during that year's regional competition because of a professional contract with Western Province in South Africa and was left out of the West Indies team.