WICB to meet CARICOM's Cricket Governance Committee on Dec 4

The West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) has acceded to the call of the CARICOM Cricket Governance Committee for an urgent meeting to discuss the state of the Caribbean game.

The calls, which were made two weeks ago, come in the wake of the recently released CARICOM-commissioned Cricket Governance Review, which, among other things, recommended "immediate dissolution of the board and appointment of an interim board".

"I would not, and have never disrespected any leader of the region," stated Whycliffe 'Dave' Cameron, WICBpresident, in response to recent comments made by chairman of the CARICOM Cricket Governance Committee, Dr Keith Mitchell.

"The letter that we (the WICB) published is simply to outline a process that we felt is a reasonably one.

"I needed time to talk to the shareholders, what we would call the constituent members of the WICB, before actually meeting with our leaders.

"If it caused any offence, I sincerely apologise ... again.

"I am now scheduled to meet the ministers on the 4th of December in Grenada," he added.

Cameron was speaking at a Kiwanis Club of Downtown Kingston luncheon held at Hotel Four Seasons on Monday.

Mitchell, speaking at an Organi-sation of Eastern Caribbean States meeting last week, described Cameron's initial reactions as "quite amazing" and "quite frightening" in response to the heads of government request.

"It is quite amazing the level of disrespect. The level of lack of understanding of the importance of this is quite frightening," Mitchell said.

"I expect the president of the WICB to respect the leadership of the Caribbean, the leadership of the people of the region, and, to give effect to an urgent meeting.

"I hope and pray that what we saw was a rush of blood and not his (Cameron) real intentions.

"I expect to see a meeting very, very soon ... , and, we are waiting for that answer to meet quickly to move cricket forward in the region," Mitchell, the Grenadian prime minister, had said.

 

WICB AUTONOMOUS

 

Cameron, elected head of the WICB since 2013, and re-elected earlier this year, however, used the occasion to point out the autonomous nature of the WICB and the need for it to remain that way.

"The history of the WICB and its socio-economic and political connections are extremely important, and we understand its relevance to the regional psyche," Cameron explained.

"[However] we are a sports business organisation. An inter-national governing body such as IOC, FIFA, the ICC, is largely concerned about two things, governance and autonomy.

"Governance has to do with the structures and accountability, and autonomy has to deal with the ability of the organisation to make its own decisions without interference."

He continued: "We need our governments, we need their support, but the decisions of the organisations should not be influenced by the governments."

The Review Panel, which cited major managerial and structural deficiencies in the running of the board, also recommended the setting up of an interim board.

The current number of WICB directors is 18.

"The panel recommends a board comprising of nine members selected on the basis of proven professional competences," the report stated. "This is a require-ment in order to achieve the long-overdue shift away from representation to professionalism."

The report also noted that an "interim board has been installed in Sri Lanka" without falling into disfavour with the ICC.

The Governance Committee was established to review the administrative and governance structure of WICB with a view to involving greater stakeholder participation.

The Governance Committee comprises Mitchell; prime minister of Antigua and Barbuda, Gaston Brown; and prime minister of St Vincent and the Grenadines, Dr Ralph Gonsalves.