Offering a staunch defense of the WICB’s move to reduce the number of rounds in the tournament by half, Hilaire said the regional governing body for cricket was acting responsibly in managing the finances at its disposable, and noted that an extended regional season would not have been feasible money-wise.
Further, Hilaire said that while the WICB and the West Indies Players Association had not reached agreement on the length of the season, the Board needed to press ahead with administering the game in the region.
Earlier this week, Ramnarine criticised the seven-round championship, labeling it “insufficient” for the needs of players and calling for a review of the fixtures especially since the WICB and WIPA had failed to reach agreement on the issue.
In a release yesterday, Hilaire said he was disappointed in Ramnarine’s response, denouncing the players union’s approach to the matter.
“After the recent dispute with WIPA, it was publicly expressed by the WICB that it would be seeking to establish a relationship based on mutual trust, respect and co-operation,” Hilaire said.
“As CEO, I expressed a desire for maturing our relationship by moving from a situation where every disagreement or difference becomes a public spat.
He continued: “It is unfortunate that behaviour patterns cannot change so easily and as WIPA has not gotten its way on this matter, it seeks public announcement of its position and creates the context for a public fight.
“It is ironic that WIPA is calling for a meeting and doing so not through the established and respected procedures but through the public medium.”
This year’s first class championship consisted of 14 rounds with each of the seven sides playing each other twice, on a home-and-away basis.
Hilaire contended, however, that this format was not sustainable financially as it had cost the WICB US$3.5 million in a year when fees for players and officials had also been increased. This year, the championship will comprise seven rounds with each round hosted in one territory.
“The strategic consideration centres on the optimization of the limited resources of the WICB,” said the recently installed WICB top official.
“Let us start with the fundamentals. It is a basic law of financial management that you spend what you have the capacity to earn. To do otherwise is to court with financial disaster.
“The WICB has limited resources which have been further affected by the global economic crisis. This places a major challenge to balance the critical components of a cricket development programme with the limited resources that are available in the present circumstances.”
He added: “Let us not pretend that WICB has unlimited resources. These circumstances may change in the short-term but until then the WICB has to be responsible.”
