GEORGETOWN, Guyana (CMC):

Ernest Hilaire believes the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) will have to take deliberate measures to bring things back to normal for the West Indies side that will tour Australia next month.

The new chief executive officer (CEO) of the WICB acknowledged that following selection of the squad for the trip, the regional governing body will have to take steps to heal the rifts that may exist between the players on the team.

The bitter contracts dispute between the WICB and the West Indies Players Association (WIPA) split regional players down the middle.

It led to a depleted squad being chosen for the home series against Bangladesh and the International Cricket Council (ICC) Champions Trophy.

"I do not know who will be picked since the selection panel will have to pick a team," said Hilaire in a television interview on Friday, which appeared in Sports on Caribbean Newsline on Caribbean Media Corporation's (CMC) regional channel, Caribvision.

"We would expect that - in the present circumstances - there will be some tension - and that's natural. I think we will need to pay attention to how we can address that situation."He added: "I think there needs to be discussions with whoever is chosen as captain and the entire management team about the peculiar situation in which we find ourselves.

"We will need to speak to the players about the need for healing and bringing the team together as a unit to face Australia in what will be a difficult series."

addressing ill feelings

Hilaire said: "I do not think we should shy away from the reality of what exists and we should confront it in a mature, professional way and seek to address any ill feeling there may be as early as possible, so the team can gel into a fighting unit as soon as possible."

The West Indies side for the tour was set to be chosen yesterday with an announcement likely early next week.

The choice of captain for the trip is one of the most topical issues which will confront Hilaire and the WICB with several players under consideration including incumbent Floyd Reifer, previous captain Chris Gayle, Trinidad & Tobago captain Daren Ganga, all-rounder Dwayne Bravo and wicketkeeper/batsman Denesh Ramdin.

Most of the players have been quite deliberate in showing their support for Gayle, but the left-hander revealed he was a reluctant captain, and furthermore, had plans to quit Tests soon in a newspaper interview during the tour of England earlier this year.

Prior to taking the CEO job, Hilaire said in an interview with the Cricinfo website that he felt the selectors should have a serious chat with the left-handed opener before considering him.

There were comments which drew the ire of players' boss Dinanath Ramnarine, but Hilaire did not walk back from his remarks and placed them in context.

"In all fairness, Cricinfo quoted me correctly, but I felt other (media agencies) made a story of the article and did not put the full picture," he said.

"I'll say what I said again. The selection panel will make a recommendation to the directors and they will discuss it and either approve or reject it.

"I have no part to play in selecting the captain or expressing a particular captain or not."

Another major issue facing Hilaire and the WICB is a lack of sponsorship for its two major regional competitions.

Hilaire is in Guyana attending the WICB President's Cup limited-overs competition, which is currently taking place without a sponsor.

But he disclosed there are potential sponsors waiting in the wings, but the WICB has to find the right fit for them.

issues

"I think there are a number of issues which the WICB is presently discussing," he said.

"The marketing committee will be meeting shortly and will be looking at a number initiatives and proposals, but I think we need to be very careful not to rush into any agreement."

He continued: "We are in a tight situation, but we have to be very diligent in our decision-making. The directors will want to reflect on the deliberations of management and the marketing committee and take that advice in setting the way forward.

"We should not rush those decisions, but we should do them with due haste, cognisant of the situation in which we find ourselves."

He said: "There are sponsors interested, but it is a question of selling a package which will attract the kinds of returns we want for the financing of cricket."

The West Indies first-class competition is also without a major sponsor.