Dear Editor
On July 6th, 2008, I wrote a letter in which I compared West Indies cricket to Australian cricket. The West Indies Cricket Board changed its name from the West Indies Cricket Board of Control in 1996 and one wonders whether this name change had a psychological effect on the board.
Over the past few months, the WICB has been in the news about leaking of information on how money was spent on renovations at the offices of WICB President Julian Hunte in St. Lucia, the resignation of West Indies captain Chris Gayle and now a High Court ruling in the UK in favour of sponsor Digicel that the WICB cannot sanction the 20/20 match against England on November 1st in Antigua.
It is reported that hundreds of thousands of dollars in costs were awarded against the board in the matter. All of these negative media reports at a time when West Indies cricket is in desperate need of a shot in the arm.
Fortunately for the region, Shivnarine Chanderpaul’s honour of being named the ICC Cricketer of the Year is probably the best news we’ve had this year.
The WICB’s mission statement is “To develop and promote West Indies cricket for the benefit and enjoyment of the West Indian people, its clients and other stakeholders by procuring a consistently high-quality, successful and international West Indian product.”
Has the board done this? What is the solution?
Maybe the powers that be assumed that the creation of the post of Chief Executive Officer of the WICB would solve their many problems. This, however, seems to have led to a whole new set of problems or maybe it’s coincidental.
Dr. Donald Peters has taken on a job that is clearly not an easy one, though he is not unfamiliar with challenges. After parting ways with Plattsburgh University in NY over alleged racist comments, he is reported to have said, “…I have tried to do my best, but trouble follows me everywhere I go.” (http://www.royalgazette.com/siftology.royalgazette/Article/article.jsp?sectionId=60&articleId=7d25b0e30030004)
Truer words could not have been spoken.
Maybe it’s time for the revamping of the WICB and for regional governments to get involved in regional cricket administration and salvage the one thing that truly unites us, our cricket.
Yours faithfully,
Dawn A. Holder
