COMMENTARY

Changes needed to address crisis in West Indies cricket

by Philip Hackett

Wednesday, August 3, 2005

A change in the constitution of the WICB is needed to address the leadership crisis current plaguing West Indies cricket.

That’s the opinion of former Trinidad and Tobago cricket captain Theo Cuffy. Cuffy, currently the Director of Coaching in the Cayman Islands is frustrated with the chaos that has been created as a result of the contract dispute between the WIPA and the WICB. 

Cuffy believes a system needs to be put in place that makes the WICB accountable to the people of the region.

“I think there must be changes from the respective territories in the way their constitutions are written and then ultimately we would have people appointed to the West Indies directorship on a different basis, said the former middle order batsman. 

Cuffy who has had stints as coach and manager of various Trinidad and Tobago national teams is not keen to see politicians involved in the day to day running of cricket but is supportive of using a political process to select Board members. 

According to Cuffy, under such a system only one representative from each member territory would be required and the door would then be open to include other stakeholders such as the Chamber of Commerce and the University of the West Indies, without making the Board too cumbersome. Cuffy even favours player representation on the WICB.

“The West Indies cricketers are the reason why we have money. The West Indies Board is just the keeper of the purse and they are missing the main point and that is that the most important people have to be the West Indies cricketers.

“I am looking to create something that is West Indian that will show that the people of the West Indies are important factors in West Indies cricket. Our lives are heavily affected by what happens in West Indies cricket. Our poor performance on the field is a reflection of what goes on off the field,” Cuffy said.

Cuffy is not convinced that the contribution of current president Teddy Griffith will be fully appreciated when he leaves office. In order to create a legacy deserving of a person of his stature Cuffy is calling on Griffith to put the wheels in motion for a change in the constitution.

“The constitution can only be changed from within so all the good men who are sitting there who I hold in high esteem, I honestly believe they should give Teddy the legacy he deserves as a good man working in West Indies cricket and that is the opportunity for him to set in motion the revamping of the constitution. It will set us back on the right road and give Teddy the send off he deserves.”

Cuffy noted that the secretive nature of contract details, the absence of retainer contracts, the tardiness in finalising contract agreements and lack of sound financial planning are all areas that need urgent attention from the Board.

Well aware that any benefits to be derived from constitution change will not be in the short term Cuffy believes an immediate change of personnel is needed in order for the players and the Board to move closer to permanently resolving their differences expeditiously.

“I think the foolishness must stop. It has reached ridiculous proportions. It has reached the point where as much as I am close to the President of the WIPA, I feel that he is missing the big picture. I also have my views on the CEO of the WICB. Both of them are too pig-headed to understand that West Indies cricket is more important that any individual. I think each has a personal agenda and that is to prove who is stronger, forgetting that our whole future surrounds West Indies cricket.

“My honest belief is that, like Teddy Griffith who is on his way out, Roger Brathwaite should also be packing his bags and heading out. The players association should have an election immediately and find a replacement for Ramnarine. I think their egos are now getting in the way of their effectiveness.

“West Indies cricket is being destroyed. We are reaching the point of no return. I think that the bigger body (the ICC) is now going to consider whether we should be looked at in the same light as they viewed Kenya, how Zimbabwe was looked at and how the USA is now being looked at.

“We have allowed our administration to deteriorate to the point where nobody knows who is going and who is coming.” 

Philip Hackett is a freelance sports journalist who has covered international cricket matches for the Nation Newspaper in Barbados as well as the CMC (formerly CANA). Hackett is also a well-respected cricket radio commentator who has covered Test matches for the Caribbean Broadcasting Corporation as well as numerous regional first class matches. He has also provided print media and electronic media coverage of table tennis throughout the region. Hackett is a physical education teacher and has worked in Bermuda, Barbados and now the Cayman Islands. He is a qualified international table tennis coach, having received his training in Hungary and a Level one cricket coach. Hackett holds a Masters degree in education from Miami University, Oxford, Ohio.

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