WICB looking gift horse in the mouth

Allen Stanford, the cricketing Santa, has wisely decided to keep the hands of the WICB and its affiliates off his dollars, says Tony Cozier © Getty Images

An expensive present was placed under the Christmas tree for 19 individual cricket boards of the Caribbean last week.

Impoverished as they are, the heads of the six main organisations responded by jointly stating that they appreciated the gift but didn't like the wrapping and were wary of the contents. The cricket presidents of Barbados, Guyana, Jamaica, Leeward Islands, Trinidad and Tobago and Windward Islands effectively told Allen Stanford, the cricketing Santa, that they should decide, "through our collective participation at the level of the West Indies Cricket Board", what to do with the US$280,000 he offered to each to prepare teams for his previously announced 20/20 tournament next year, the first in the West Indies.

"If it is Mr Stanford's desire to genuinely assist in the development of cricket, we would expect this to be progressed in conjunction with existing Caribbean initiatives which are well advanced," they declared. On reading the note, Stanford, the Antigua-based Texan banking and insurance tycoon who unveiled plans last October for his investment of US$28 million in the event in particular and West Indies cricket in general, might have emitted a mighty and derisive "Ho, Ho, Ho". The reputation of the WICB for handling money, after all, stands on a par with the chaos that accompanies its arrangement of its own tournaments and the extravagance of its personnel. Instead, Stanford adopted the conciliatory stance appropriate to the time of year. From the outset, he stated, he has kept new WICB president Ken Gordon informed of the plans for the tournament.

"We also understand WICB is the governing body of cricket in the West Indies and support them as such," a statement issued on his behalf added. "It is and always has been our intention to work with them on this initiative. However, we do not see them as managers of the funds, considering that some of the nations involved do not fall under the auspices of the WICB."

There were more compelling, if diplomatically unstated, reasons for Stanford keeping the hands of the WICB and its affiliates off his dollars. The prospect of them having even partial financial control of an event encompassing as many as 19 territorial teams would have scared away even the most naive investor. What Stanford has done is to appoint to his board of directors 14 of the most prominent past West Indian cricketers, all deserving of the title given them as "legends" but few engaged in the official administration under the WICB. Their role is to visit the proposed participating boards, evaluate their needs and discuss the venture with them.

Each board has been asked to submit a plan as to how it intends to use the initial funding of US$115,000 to prepare for the tournament. That amount is earmarked for the development and upkeep of facilities and for coaching and training. A monthly stipend leading up to the tournament of US$15,000 follows. Several 'legends' have already made the rounds and reported some enthusiastic responses that contradict the reservations expressed in the joint statement from the six presidents.

The Stanford 20/20 itself carries prize money of US$1 million for the champion team and US$500,000 for the runners-up. In addition, the respective boards are to receive US$200,000 and US$100,000 that "must be used toward the development and improvement of the cricket facilities in those countries". Each Man of the Match gets US$25,000, for the championship final US$100,000. This, in other words, is no fly-by-night undertaking. Nothing formulated by the head of a global concern with an airline and more than EC$1 billion investment in the eastern Caribbean on its portfolio was ever going to be.

The cricket complex Stanford has constructed at the airport in Antigua, with its well maintained ground, impressive stand and adjoining Sticky Wicket restaurant, and the West Indies Hall of Fame he has inaugurated should long since have alerted the WICB to a wealthy, interested potential partner.

It should not be surprising that he has now taken this new initiative on his own. The various board presidents may believe 20 overs an innings knockabout cannot properly stimulate the revival of West Indies cricket. They would not be alone in such a view but the money Stanford is offering to upgrade facilities, coaching and training and to appreciably increase the earning potential of regional players can. It certainly is not available from any other source.

The WICB might also take a few hints in the knack of properly organising a regional tournament and of suitably utilising the knowledge and enthusiasm of the available host of past players. It is noteworthy that the presidents' dismissively described those on his board as "envoys of Mr Stanford". One by one, such eminent men have either been discarded by the WICB or excluded altogether. The latest was Clive Lloyd, captain during the glory days of the Eighties and globally recognised as the embodiment of West Indies cricket excellence. When he sought the vice-presidency of the WICB in July, he was rejected in favour of a banker. Now Lloyd and the others have found another avenue through which to help arrest the free fall that has brought a once proud institution from the summit of the world game to rock bottom.

The relevant territorial boards, perceiving a threat to their tenuous authority, speak of "an attempt to create duplication and division within West Indies cricket" unless Stanford sees things their way. With its inept handling of the switch of team sponsors, its acrimonious relations with players and much else besides, the WICB has itself been the catalyst for such "duplication and division".

Its officials would do well to carefully read the statement from Stanford and his directors last week. "It is our desire to work with the WICB and all other interested parties toward the success of the Stanford 20/20 tournament and the rebuilding of the sport that is so integral to the people of the West Indies. The intention is not to overshadow or conflict with any of the WICB's existing programmes but to hopefully complement their mammoth undertaking of developing West Indies cricket," it asserted.

Surely, even the WICB can't misinterpret such a message.