“While we had made progress in our relationship with the players and that the industrial relations environment was more stable, we were still to negotiate a new MOU with WIPA and that we would be putting forward a proposal for a wider distribution of resources,” West Indies Cricket Board President Julian Hunte said in the annual general meeting earlier this week.

“I always felt that the differences with WIPA would explode before us once the WICB became firm and resolute that this was the way forward.

“All other issues -- injury payments, late tour contracts, retainer contracts, intellectual property rights, etc. -- have been and would continue to be a mere smokescreen for the fundamental issue of whether WICB would be strong enough to have WIPA to accept the proposals for a new MOU,” he was quoted as saying by the ‘Jamaica Gleaner’.

Hunte also came down heavily on players and the WIPA for boycotting the 2010 Twenty20 World Cup ticket launch and their strike just before a Test against Bangladesh.