WI Domestic: Cricket school within a year

The much-awaited regional cricket school could become a reality this year.

The West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) and the University of the West Indies (UWI) have been mandated by the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) to begin the process toward establishing the institution.

This follows a meeting on December 23 where the university put forward a proposal for the education and training of cricketers.

The concept of a cricket academy was being dropped and instead the formation of a school was to become a reality, said Edward Greene, CARICOM's assistant secretary-general (human and social development).

He was speaking yesterday at a press conference given by secretarygeneral Edwin Carrington at the headquarters of the Caribbean Examinations Council.

Greene said a number of workshops involving players past and present, administrators and the media would be conducted to brainstorm on changing the attitudes on and off the field of play.

"The WICB has been mandated to work on the other aspect: increasing the coaching and working with UWI to develop the cricket school.

"The school would have dynamics to it so it would involve the development of sports medicine and those things." Greene added that the iniative was aimed at reinstating West Indies cricket to its former prominence.

During the 12th CARICOM Inter-Sessional meeting in February, the WICB and the UWI are expected to update the heads of government on the progress made toward establishing the cricket school.