The stories breaking around West Indies and world cricket continues to make for interesting reading. It is apparent even as India, South Africa and Australia gallop ahead on the field of play and in the boardroom conversely the West Indies has become stuck in the mud.
It is less than three years since the impoverished governments of the region made the decision to mortgage future generations. Reports suggest hundreds of millions of dollars to build stadia and infrastructure was spent to host CWC 2007. Respective governments including Barbados promised that the legacy value from the event would reap untold economic benefits, this was used to justify the huge expense. It is unfortunate the current global crisis has derailed any immediate prospect of a return on the legacy investment. To compound the issue, the relationship between the management of West Indies cricket and players representative has soured.
Of interest in the sorry mess has been the decision by respective Caribbean governments to invest heavily, disproportionately so, in a sport which is managed by an autonomous body. Good example of the impotence of the Caribbean governments in influencing West Indies cricket was demonstrated in their inability to resolve the recent impasse between WIBC and WIPA. The biggest irony must have been the appearance of President Bharat Jagdeo of Guyana, in his capacity as current Chairman of CARICOM, who defaulted to be the one to bring calm to the turmoil in West Indies cricket when the feuding parties turned to CARICOM. Bear in mind Jagdeo is the head of what many consider a failed state. His decision to recommend and appoint Sonny Ramphall as mediator, who a short time before had insulted the people of Barbados by his use of ‘ethnic cleansing’ further adds to the mire WI cricket finds itself.
As the above is unfolding, we observe Sir Hilary Beckles, head of UWI, Cave Hill diligently transforming the Cave Hill, part of his vision to link tertiary level education and sport, especially cricket. In a nutshell, huge sums are being funnelled into West Indies cricket. Are we satisfied with the returns? In the meantime the WIBC responsible for the management of West Indies cricket continues to make decisions which are steeped in a colonial mindset.
Just when we thought the mountain of troubles affecting West Indies cricket could not get anymore we read Bravo’s comment about whether he can be loyal to West Indies cricket given the competing cricket interests prepared to pay big dollars to the top cricketers. After spending hundreds of millions of dollars in cricket infrastructure to sustain the game in the West Indies, it appears a foreign interest is waiting in the wings to snatched the finished product. Howzat!
We listened with interest to Prime Minister David Thompson’s comments today in the news, he firmly suggested the region’s politicians should stay the hell away from meddling in the affairs of West Indies cricket. To most sensible observers the problems of West Indies cricket can only be solved by revamping the current monolithic West Indies Cricket Board.
Does the WIBC has the resolve to reinvent itself?
The blogmaster invites you to join the discussion.