Improving the game in the Caribbean

West Indies cricket has been driven into deep crisis, in both its social dimension and its performance aspects.

The stakeholders of the game have good reasons to be concerned about the future of their most precious cultural asset. The principal stakeholders, former players who have created this magnificent monument for our people, have called upon me to come forward and take responsibility for protecting cricket from this most unfortunate condition.

The great captains from the region such as Sir Gary Sobers, Sir Viv Richards, and Clive Lloyd, and outstanding players such as Gordon Greenidge and Desmond Haynes have called upon me to stand up in order to restore public confidence. I am also responding to the regional expressions of alarm by former players such as Lance Gibbs, Andy Roberts, Basil Butcher and Rohan Kanhai at the divisive leadership that has led us down this unproductive path.

The board of the Barbados Cricket Association has nominated me for the post of vice-president of the West Indies Cricket Board Inc. (WICB) as the running partner of Alloy Lequay, president of the Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board, has been nominated for the post of president.

Mr. Lequay is highly eligible for the post of president of the WICB at this time. He has been an outstanding administrator of cricket in the region. I know from over two decades of personal experience that his moral and executive authority as a financial manager, his social reputation as a community leader, and business skills as a strategic planner is in the best professional tradition of accountability and transparency.

Those who have called upon me to assist the healing, reconciling, and rebuilding process in West Indies cricket are aware of my long experience and keenness to promote the bonding of stakeholders for the future. They know of my work as a long serving manager of West Indies cricket during the glory years, my experience as a manager in the private sector with Cable and Wireless, Banks Brewery (Barbados) and Sandals Resorts International.

In addition, they are cognisant of the fact that as a Minister of Tourism in the Government of Barbados for eight years with strategic leadership for the national economy I have no difficulty in reading a balance sheet.

Mr. Lequay and I propose to achieve one objective; to restore excellent performance levels and rebuild the social image of the leadership of West Indies cricket.

We recognise the need to enhance the commercial aspects of the game but feel strongly the need to restore the game to the people as their social culture. They have given their hearts in its development for over a century and must not be cut off from their sense of ownership.

Three strategies have been are proposed to meet this objective:

1. To restore and consolidate a cricketer-friendly climate in West Indies cricket.

Most former players and I are deeply disturbed by the continuing harsh treatment of cricketers.

The way in which Viv Richards as coach, and the lack of a scientific approach to the handling of Lara's career - which I called for in 1995 as manager - have created divisive and subversive relationships within the cricket fraternity.

Cricketers are the principal stakeholders and as such, the players association must be represented on the WICB in order to assure a cricket-friendly climate.

2. Create and promote financial accountability and transparency in the business aspects of the WICB and ensure that the wealth generated by cricket is used principally for the development of cricket and cricketers.

3. provide modern facilities and special project support for all cricket communities, particularly for the last endowed Windward and Leeward Islands that will be targeted for a radical development plan.

I am aware that in this election Mr. Lequay and I are placed at a disadvantage since the constitution of the WICB favours the incumbents and discriminates against the challengers.

Not only do the president and vice president have an executive vote each but the president also has a casting vote in the event of an electoral tie.

That is, there are three executive votes. It is possible therefore for the incumbent president to win the election even though seven of the twelve regional votes are cast against him.

But we feel that the electors know what is in the best interests of West Indies cricket and cricketers and will vote to ensure a path along which our cricket will be restored to the high level to which our people have become accustomed.