In your editorial of July 10 you have admitted that the West Indies Players Association (WIPA) has not disclosed its request. At this time, is it not a bit unreasonable even to opine, before at least hearing the real issues and "from at least two of the three sides of the coin?"

Here are some questions, the answers to which may show that our current frustration with West Indies cricket and its administration, albeit warranted, may not justify our being unreasonable ahead of knowing their answers.

Are some players being asked to play their fifth consecutive series without a contract?

Is there an annual contract processing procedure with a clearly stated time-line in respect of all inputs and deliverables?

Did WIPA, in a timely manner, act in accordance with any established process for dealing with players' contract and fees?

Is it reasonable to ask any professional sportsman to play any sport that has such a high risk without a signed contract?

Is it true that some of our players aren't even asking for higher wages, they are asking to be paid for playing over the last few months?

The facts

Beyond those questions, here are some facts:

We do not have quality players in abundance, and we certainly do not have enough quality business administrators in West Indies cricket.

Dinanath Ramnarine is a very educated and intelligent person.

There has been friction between the West Indies Cricket Board and the players for generations, but it became more evident in the post-Packer era as players became a more powerful group. Just think back.

We are talking about our cricketers and their job and for the most part the players do not have a fallback. They have dedicated their lives to representing the West Indies.

On the matter of being profes-sional, when Sir Frank Worrell boycotted the series against England in 1947 to get increased wages, what was the mood of our Caribbean people at the time?

I am, etc.,

CALVIN R. GRAY

Calvinrgray@hotmail.com