THE EDITOR, Sir:
THE EVENTS leading to the withdrawal of Mr. Chetram Singh as the candidate for the presidency of the WICB contains many valuable insights. Not least of these is the attitude of Mr. Singh himself.
It seems that he has not understood the implications of the situation from which he has just emerged. In his withdrawal statement, he maintained that his gambling business was legal and that he intended to continue to be a director of the WICB. First of all, if Mr. Singh was familiar with the ICC rules and regulations, he would have understood immediately that the ICC - the governing body for test cricket and one-day internationals - has taken a firm line against all forms of gambling, whether they are legitimate or not. It is difficult to believe that this could not be understood by him. He had to suffer disappointment in order to understand that there is an international standard for cricket as for most activities which have a global dimension. This standard cannot be violated with impunity.
GRANTED
Secondly, it seems that the WICB has taken the people of this region for granted. How else could one explain the fact that an almost secretive meeting of the Executive Committee (most of us never knew it existed) decided on a nominee for the post of President of the WICB, in clear violation of the existing procedures. This development following the well-publicised inefficiencies of the Board must cause the average cricket lover in the region grave concern. Indeed, it would appear that even though the Caribbean people are nominally the stakeholders, little is done to create mechanisms, which would ensure that their interests and views are accommodated when the policies of the WICB are being crafted and framed.
For example, how does the average Caribbean citizen access the reports and financial statements of the WICB? How do they know when structural changes take place in the organisation or new policies are made and implemented? Generally, the Caribbean people are not informed about developments in respect of the activities of the Board and in fact do not know who their representatives are on such bodies as the ICC. This situation is far from acceptable and ought to be changed.
ATTENTION
I believe the time has come for the region to turn its attention to cricket in the regions of the Caribbean. We must seek to answer the question as to whether the game as administered and played region-wide conduces to its improvement.
Accordingly, I wish to propose that the WICB appoint a Commission which could visit each cricket-playing Caribbean territory to determine such issues as:
The level and standard of the game as played in the various territories
The standard of umpiring
The quality of pitches whether they are capable of producing quality fast bowlers and batsmen
Whether the social conditions in the respective territories will mean that our cricketers might have to be trained differently in order to become the kind of personality that would do credit to West Indies cricket
A thorough examination of the structure of the game as played in the respective territories
Whether grounds and facilities are up to international standard.
The above is not exhaustive. This Commission should consist of ex-test players such as Sir Clyde Walcott, Sir Vivian Richards, Clive Lloyd, Teddy Griffith, David Holford, Mike Findlay, Basil Butcher, Rohan Kanhai and Joe Solomon, to name a few.
I am etc.,
R. M. AUSTIN
69 Canje Street
Campbellville, Georgetown
Guyana
ronald_austin2002@yahoo.com
