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Race on for CWI presidency

Published:Thursday | February 18, 2021 | 12:19 AMLennox Aldred/Gleaner Writer
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The Jamaica Cricket Association is not quite ready to show its hand, but former West Indies wicket-keeper batsman Jeffrey Dujon has come out in support of the Cricket West Indies (CWI) presidency bid put forward by CWI Director and Guyana Cricket...

The Jamaica Cricket Association is not quite ready to show its hand, but former West Indies wicket-keeper batsman Jeffrey Dujon has come out in support of the Cricket West Indies (CWI) presidency bid put forward by CWI Director and Guyana Cricket Board Secretary Anand Sanasie.

Sanasie confirmed to The Gleaner yesterday that he had put in his nomination for the presidency of Cricket West Indies, which is currently being held by Kittian Ricky Skerritt.

Barbadian lawyer and Barbados Cricket Association Vice-President Calvin Hope has been nominated to run for the vice-presidency post, which is currently held by Dr Kishore Shallow.

“For now, I just want to confirm that I have received the nomination from two full members, “said Sanasie, who said he would be putting out a standardised statement soon to outline his rationale behind his challenge for the presidency.

The Guyanese real estate entrepreneur is said to have received the backing from his board along with the Barbados Cricket Association.

Nominations for the CWI posts closed at 5:00 p.m. today, with the elections slated to be held on March 28.

JCA Vice-President, Dr Donovan Bennett, told The Gleaner that the local cricket authority would only comment on the development after it has been discussed at a scheduled board meeting today. The JCA supported Skerritt and Shallow at the last CWI elections in 2019.

Meanwhile, Dujon, who played for the West Indies during the early ‘80s and ‘90s, is calling for change at the top of the region’s cricket hierarchy and is convinced that Senasie and Hope are suited for the task of leading West Indies cricket into the future.

“I had a brief conversation with Calvin (Hope), who I know very well, and he has outlined to me a different strategy in terms of bringing our cricket back to where it used to be. That strategy involves a more fundamental approach, where it not just involves past players getting posts, but by involving them more in a structural way, in terms of planning and how we go about our cricket, and for me, that is a good move,” said Dujon.

DISLIKE IN MANAGEMENT STYLE

The former West Indies assistant coach says that there are a lot of rumblings and discontent among the top brass at Cricket West Indies and a great deal of that has come about due to the dislike in the management style of Skerritt.

“I don’t think there is general satisfaction with the way this administration has performed, and I hear grumblings down in the islands, so I think that if a good plan and strategy is put together, Sanasie and Hope have a good chance,” added Dujon.

The Gleaner has learnt that the Leeward Islands Cricket Association, which supported Skerritt in his 2019 presidency bid when he defeated Dave Cameron 8-4, has been hesitant to back the incumbent this time around.

According to our checks, the Windward Islands Cricket Board of Control, which is chaired by Shallow, is expected to nominate Skerritt, with the Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Association and the JCA reportedly so far split on their decisions.

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