WICB forbid T&T CEO to speak on regional cricket (13 Dec 1997)

Friday, December 12, 1997

WICB forbid T&T CEO to speak on regional cricket

By IRVING WARD

TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO Cricket Board CEO Alloy Lequay's public outcry in defence of Brian Lara in October has put him in the West Indies Cricket Board's (WICB) line of fire.

In fact, the Trinidadian official has so drawn the wrath of the WICB that he has been forbidden to speak on any issue involving West Indies cricket unless he is given the okay to do so.

Ironically, in an apparent defiance of the same directive, Lequay revealed the current situation yesterday.

The TTCB boss told the media of his "muzzling'' by the WICB after he was quizzed on the current situation of West Indies cricket at a media briefing at the Queen's Park Oval and stuttered before he finally responded.

Admitting that he had much to comment about on the state of regional cricket, Lequay then revealed that he could not, and regrettably so, as a result of the recent sanctions against him.

"To be very honest with you I have a major difficulty in speaking (on issues) now. It is claimed that Alloy Lequay speaks out of turn on West Indies Board matters," he stated.

"And we certainly don't want the Trinidad board to be accused of being the ones who are creating dissent within West Indies Board cricket." Lequay's apparent "muzzling'' by the WICB arose out of a press conference at the same venue at the end of October when Lequay came out to defend Lara.

Charging then that there appeared to be "cliquism within the board", Lequay revealed that he and Richard De Souza­p; the other T&T representative on the WICB-would seek to have the air cleared on what he said was a clear pattern that had developed "to put Brian Lara in a negative image in the local, regional and international press", at a WICB executive meeting on November 7 in Antigua.

While admitting then that he had no proof of who was behind what he called a "Lara bashing" plot, Lequay revealed that the issue had reached a boiling point after the WICB did not immediately re-appoint the talented left-hander as vice-captain for the current tour of Pakistan. It appeared clear though, he had said, that "certain critical decisions which should be made by the Board or by the executive, are now being made by the hierarchy of the West Indies Board outside of meetings and not conforming to policy decisions".

But in the wake of the meeting, following which Lara'a was subsequently "reinstated" as vice-captain, Lequay dodged commenting on the matters discussed there and in particularly on the Lara issue. Yesterday though he explained the reason for his behaviour. "I am not expected to speak on behalf of the West Indies Board. So when journalists call me and want to discuss West Indies Board matters, unfortunately, I have not been taking those calls ... particularly when we came back out of the board meeting in November."

And pointing out that he was a man who never held back on speaking about issues at hand and especially on cricket, Lequay added that he had no choice but to oblige this time.

"I have to respect the view that there is a principle of collective responsibility. Even though certain things might be taking place with the Trinidad Board and more particularly (things which) its president doesn't approve of, under the principle of collective responsibility we just have, in public, to accept the majority decision. I think all of us understand that problem."

He added that as a result of the situation the TTCB had asked the WICB to card the issue of the state of West Indies cricket for an early meeting in January and have had no response to the request as yet.

Source :: The Trinidad Express (https://www.trinidad.net/express/)