Statement of new WICB Vice President Emmanuel Nanthan

I wish to first express my heartfelt thanks to out-going WICB President Dr. Julian Hunte for the tremendous job he did over the last six years, working to rebuild West Indies cricket.

He is my friend and has been for a number of years. He is to me a hero, coming from the Windward Islands, and I am proud of the way he presided over the WICB during a difficult time and now the baton has been passed on.

Special thanks must be extended to Dr. Hunte’s wife, his family and the people of St. Lucia for the support they have provided to him, which enabled the WICB to turn the corner and move things along.

I am fortunate to be part of the new team chosen to advance the development of West Indies cricket. In accepting the baton, what I believe we are offering are two fresh pairs of legs to continue the work, so that one day we too, can pass on the baton to someone else to take the game that we all love and cherish further forward in this region.

We want to thank the members of the WICB for the confidence they have reposed in us and we also thank the directors with whom we have served for around a decade. They have all urged us to move forward.

We have received several messages saying the election is over, but the work has just begun.

To be able to begin this work, it will be incumbent on us to reach out to every nook and cranny in the region including the private sector to rally with us. It is not about the past, nor who won and lost this election, but bringing the people of the region together, mobilisation and strengthening behind a common cause.

We know the Caribbean well and from time to time we know there will be disagreements, but we plead with the people of the region to agree to disagree with us when this happens so that we can move forward.

We extend our hands to everyone and make ourselves available to the people of the region, as we seek to carry what is the greatest passion of the Caribbean civilization. We are honoured and privileged to be given this opportunity.