It is absolutely fair to state that cricket in the Caribbean is in a shambolic state. However, the recent triumphs for the West Indians in several ICC events had brought the spotlight back on the Caribbean islands. In his speech after winning the ICC World T20, skipper Darren Sammy opened up about the corrupt and callous attitude of the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) towards the players and officials.
After Sammy, several individuals spoke on the matter and slammed the WICB for its high-handed approach. In the light of such a storm, a few former West Indian greats comprising of Garry Sobers, Viv Richards, Wes Hall and Andy Roberts formed a committee to assess the likely future of West Indies cricket. The panel has now come up with the recommendation to dissolve WICB and replace it with an interim committee.
“During the last two decades, many different presidents and CEOs have led the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) and yet, its performance has declined steadily with each passing year,” the panel, led by the former greats said in a statement. “The Board is an oligarchic structure that considers itself answerable to no one but itself. It is one of the few sporting institutions that have remained virtually unchanged in attitude and structure in the last 70 years or more.”
Emphasizing on the need to completely overhaul the cricket structure in West Indies, the panel added, “We believe that revival of West Indies cricket will only happen when the Board undergoes the structural adjustment, and when it improves the quality of its communication and leadership, and upgrades the management of key relationships.”
“We are very proud of our legacy,” the statement said. “We cannot now in good conscience stand idly by and watch everything that we fought so hard to build and achieve disappear right before our eyes because of the actions of inept Board members and an incompetent Board.”