Dr Keith Rowley speaks out: Reviving WI cricket amid controversy

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad (CMC):

In a candid and exclusive interview on Trinidadian radio station i95.5FM’s Isports with host Andre Errol Baptiste on Saturday, Dr Keith Rowley, chairman of the CARICOM subcommittee on cricket, laid bare the challenges and ambitions surrounding West Indies cricket, as the region gets ready to welcome a new year and possible new challenges facing the regions beloved sport.

The Trinidad and Tobago prime minister revealed that CARICOM, in collaboration with Cricket West Indies (CWI), has been working assiduously to try and implement a working solution to plans that have been tabled in the past that were designed to revive the glory days of West Indies cricket.

However, the initiative has faced significant setbacks, with Barbados and Guyana failing to attend the most recent meeting, leading to the lack of a quorum. Despite frustrations, Rowley emphasised that CARICOM does not seek to run West Indies cricket, but relies on moral suasion to drive change.

“We want to encourage people in this period of the great risk and possibly good rewards that we get to the table, take the available assistance, work as one body because nobody is going to respect West Indies cricket, because we are fractured at the management level. But if we are one solid body talking to the ICC and talking to ourselves, then we can do what is required to improve the game.”

Addressing recent speculation about the dissolution of West Indies cricket, Dr Rowley dismissed the claims as “rubbish”. He accused detractors of attempting to undermine the region’s cricket legacy.

“The West Indies, as a team, is a unique entity in world cricket, and the fact that we have dominated the game for two decades should indicate that the model does work. West Indies have played a role and we have paid our dues. We need to be treated with more respect and have more resources from the ICC, so that we can get those resources to bring our game into line with what is required in today’s sport.”

Rowley turned his attention to recent decisions by Cricket West Indies and the Caribbean Premier League (CPL), which he believes have marginalised CARICOM’s input. He specifically highlighted the absence of CARICOM representatives at recent CPL meetings, suggesting a lack of collaboration and transparency.

Looking ahead, Rowley revealed that the next CARICOM-CWI meeting is scheduled to take place in Barbados, and that more fruitful developments will come to the fore in a bid to aid the regional game.