The West Indies Cricket Board stands to lose approximately 300,000 US dollars on the forthcoming tour of Sri Lanka. It follows a recent International Cricket Council (ICC) ruling to which the West Indies were the only dissenting vote.

The WICB will receive $62,500 per Test match, and $25,000 per one-day international. The WICB President, Wes Hall said: "The West Indies was the only dissenting voice in the vote which went 9-1. We have an obligation under the ICC programme to play every Test-playing nation twice every 10 years, home and away."

The new ruling means that when the West Indies tour Bangladesh, Kenya or Zimbabwe, they are paid the same money as when they tour England, India or Australia, where the populations and television markets are considerably larger.

The new ICC ruling has effectively ended the normal practice of teams negotiating financial incentives ahead of tours. Whereas in the past the visiting team's board was able to work out certain incentives with respect to proceeds from television coverage, gate receipts etc. that practice is now a thing of the past. It means that proceeds from gate receipts and television rights would now go solely to the host nation.

Hall added: "We have to play the mainstream teams like India, England and Australia often and if we don't get five Test matches against these mainstream teams, we can't make up when we go on ancillary tours like Bangladesh and Kenya. Our only salvation is that we have been awarded the World Cup in 2007."

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