Guyana Cricket Board elects new president

The Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) has adopted a new constitution and, as per the stipulations of the new constitution, elected former assistant secretary Drubahadur as its president. These changes were sanctioned at the GCB's annual general meeting in Georgetown on January 27, but it is as yet not certain whether this new development would ease the WICB-backed Guyana board's continuing standoff with the country's government.

Drubahadur, a GCB press release said, was the lone nominee for the post of president. He takes over from Fizul Bacchus, who was named acting president following the resignation of Ramsey Ali in February 2012. Ali had been elected to the post in a contentious election in July 2011, and quit after police and court officials raided his home and the homes of other board officials.

Those raids were part of the ongoing conflict between the GCB and the Guyana government, which began when the government dissolved the board due to the dispute over the 2011 elections. The elections were boycotted by some of the board's constituent members, one of which, the Berbice Cricket Board, took the GCB to court, claiming the new administration was not properly established. The Chief Justice recommended that "there may be immediate need for the minister responsible for sports to impose his executive will in the national interest".

Following that ruling, Guyana's sports minister Dr Frank Anthony appointed an Interim Management Committee (IMC), headed by ex-West Indies captain Clive Lloyd, to run cricket in Guyana. The WICB, however, refused to acknowledge the IMC, in keeping with the ICC's stance against government intervention in cricket administration, and said the only authority it would recognise was the GCB.

At Sunday's AGM, Bacchus was elected vice-president, administration, while Anand Sanasie and Anand Kalladeen got the posts of secretary and treasurer respectively. Auditing firm Barcellos Narine was also elected to be auditors of the Guyana board.