CASTRIES, St Lucia, CMC – The West Indies Cricket Board has identified November as a possible date for the realization of the Cricket Stakeholders’ Council, a body which will function in an advisory capacity to the region’s governing body for the sport.

WICB president Julian Hunte said Tuesday a CARICOM/WICB cricket conference had been scheduled for November 28 at which time the Council would be rolled out.

“The WICB, as agreed with the CARICOM Cricket Sub-committee under the distinguished chairmanship of the Hon. Baldwin Spencer (Antigua’s Prime Minister), will implement the establishment of a Cricket Stakeholders’ Council,” Hunte said.

“There will be a CARICOM/WICB Cricket Conference at which the details of this Council will be set out.  As stated before, Professor (Edward) Greene of CARICOM and Professor (Hilary) Beckles of UWI are working towards a date of November 28, 2009 for this conference, from which the Council will emerge.”

The concept is an amendment to a recommendation in the Patterson Report which called for the creation of a council comprising stakeholders and special interests, aimed at enhancing the administration of the game.

However, Hunte said it had been agreed that the entity would only be advisory and not have actual authority over the Board of directors.

“At our last meeting with the CARICOM Cricket Sub-committee this agreement to have a stakeholders’ Council, in an advisory capacity to the WICB for three years in the first instance with a subsequent view to further reforms, was accepted as a critical, progressive step to deeper and wider participation of all stakeholders in the affairs of WICB,” Hunte explained.

The WICB has been criticized for failing to implement the Patterson Report, especially as it relates to changing the governance structure of the Board.

And with West Indies cricket lurching from one controversy to another in recent years, the Board has been under further pressure to use the report and streamline its operations.

The move to implement the Council is one of three policy initiatives being undertaken by the WICB. The Board is also moving to make the regional tournament mandatory for player selection and is also unveiling the long-awaited Cricket Academy in October.