WICB 'accept' Lucky Committee's recommendations

Despite their stated objections to the contents of the Sponsorship Negotiations Review Committee's (SNRC) report on their sponsorship deal with Digicel, the directors of the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) have accepted the recommendations.

According to a media release from the WICB yesterday, "while the board did not agree with certain conclusions in the report, the seven recommendations were accepted".

In a September 16 release in which it responded in detail to the findings of the SNRC, headed by Justice Anthony Lucky, the WICB disagreed outright or described as incorrect, nine different points raised. The report of the SNRC was tabled along with the response from the board and their former president, Teddy Griffith, at the WICB directors meeting in Barbados.

The WICB also announced yesterday that the recently-established Win World Cup Committee had presented 24 recommendations to the directors. According to the release, the recommendations came out of a session held on September 15 by the committee, which is led by West Indies head coach Bennett King.

In attendance at that meeting of the committee were Sir Garry Sobers, Courtney Walsh, Desmond Haynes, Michael Findlay, along with the chairman. Brian Lara was absent as he was out of the region at the time of the meeting playing in a benefit match for Jacques Kallis in South Africa.

The committee's brief is to produce a winning team for the International Cricket Council's (ICC) World Cup to be played in the West Indies in 2007.

The terms of reference of the committee are:

1. to address the more comprehensive development of players

2. to develop the physical and mental toughness which will deliver a

consistent standard of excellence on and off the field

3. to deliver in conjunction with head coach Bennett King, a programme of preparation that will deliver the targeted results.

Among the recommendations are for full-time coaches to be appointed to regional teams; that regional teams should have full access to trainers, physiotherapists and adequate gym facilities; and that former players be incorporated as mentors for players in their countries.

Also, the WICB deferred consideration of their business plan and budgets for the coming financial year ending September 2006 and appointed a committee headed by Enoch Lewis, the Antigua-based director of the WICB, to develop recommendations for cost savings across the widest possible front.

The other members of the committee are KHL "Tony" Marshall, Gregory Georges, Avondale Thomas, the CEO and CFO. This committee is to report by September 30, 2005. The directors also received the tour reports from the A team and the West Indies team which both visited Sri Lanka.

Proposals with respect to the reconstitution of the board of directors of the wholly-owned subsidiary, ICC Cricket World Cup WI 2007 Inc, were also tabled and an announcement will be made shortly in that regard.