Across the Board

Last Weekend I was re-elected as president of the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) at the first annual general meeting of the members of WICB Inc.

At the outset, let me say I consider it a privilege to have been chosen to lead the board into the new millennium as we chart a course towards hosting the World Cup in 2007. It is now time to unite and refocus our attention on the goals ahead - all of which are geared towards ensuring a healthier and more prosperous future for West Indies cricket.

Our chief objective must be to get West Indies cricket back to the No.1 position in world cricket and that can be achieved if we continue to enhance our development programmes and other developmental work around the team.

It would be fantastic if the West Indies were among the front-runners to win the 2003 World Cup and do the same in our own backyard. All partners in West Indies cricket must dedicate themselves to the continuing rebuilding process with this in mind.

Talking about the World Cup, 2007 does sound far away but it's not and we have to start planning and putting the proper structures in place so that we can run it efficiently and gain the maximum benefit, financially and otherwise, for the West Indies.

We will shortly be announcing the establishment of a separate World Cup organisation, employing staff - including the necessary professionals - and working with the various governments in the islands to meet all the requirements and put the World Cup package together.

The WICB secretariat still runs the day-to-day business of West Indies cricket and the World Cup is an exercise that necessitates full-time attention. However, the two organisations will be inter-linked and cooperate with each other.

One of the primary concerns relating to the World Cup is the condition of the cricket arenas across the Caribbean. They are not up to the International Cricket Council's (ICC) standards and certain criteria must be met before the sport's governing body will sanction a game at any venue. We have a lot of work to do to ensure we can provide at least a minimum of ten high-class venues.

The support of Caribbean governments has been and will continue to be crucial in preparation for this huge undertaking. We began dialogue with them before we launched our World Cup bid and now that we have been awarded the 2007 World Cup we will have to continue working closely with authorities in the different territories and at the CARICOM Secretariat. Towards the end of this year, we are going to put a full programme before the governments so they will be fully abreast of the situation.

Our best efforts in preparing for the World Cup will come to nought if we do not have the total support of all West Indians. To this extent, it is vital that we undertake an awareness campaign to make all West Indians understand the complexity of running such an event and the magnitude of what needs to be done. People must see their role, however small it may seem, in the big picture.

Apart from that major project, one area I would like to address during this term is improving the image and efficiency of the WICB secretariat in Antigua.

We are now playing four times as much cricket as we played five years ago and we have to continue the restructuring of the organisation and expand the staff to cope with the increasing demands of international cricket.

The road ahead will be challenging but I am confident that with input from all the interests in regional cricket we can regain the supremacy we previously enjoyed.

I pledge my commitment to this task, not only as WICB president but as a supporter of our team. I urge you all to join me in this cause and rally round West Indies cricket.