CARICOM and WICB agree “way forward” for West Indies cricket

ST. GEORGE’S, Grenada, Tuesday April 21, 2015, CMC – The West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) and the Caricom committee on cricket governance say they have ended a “productive” meeting where an agreement has been reached on “the way forward” for West Indies cricket.

However both parties have declined to comment on the specifics of the agreement following their meeting which ran for nearly five hours at the upscale Spice Island Beach resort in Grenada’s southern tourist belt late Monday.

WICB president Dave Cameron and Grenada’s Prime Minister Keith Mitchell said details of the agreement will be contained in a joint press release to be issued on Tuesday.

“We also agreed that we will have a joint press release from the West Indies Cricket Board and of course the Prime Minister’s team,” Prime Minister Mitchell told the media at the end of the meeting.

“I believe we have reached a positive conclusion which will chart the way forward. We will be working together with the board and all concerned to move West Indies cricket forward.”

Prime Minister Mitchell chaired the meeting, which was also attended by Bahamas Prime Minister Perry Christie, the current CARICOM chairman; Antigua & Barbuda Prime Minister Gaston Browne, and St. Vincent & the Grenadines Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves.

All 18 directors of the WICB, including President Cameron and Vice President Emmanuel Nanthan, along with Chief Executive Officer Michael Muirhead and Corporate Secretary Verlyn Faustin met with the CARICOM Committee which also included CARICOM Secretary General Irwin LaRocque.

“I think the meeting was very productive. We have agreed a way forward and a joint release will be issued. So you will get the details very shortly,” said Cameron.

“I think the meeting was very positive. We have a shared vision. All of us want to see West Indies cricket back at the top and we are committed to making this happen.”

The two sides were expected to discuss the abandoned tour of India last October, the reform and governance of West Indies Cricket, and the relationship between the CARICOM Committee on Cricket Governance and the WICB.

Also in attendance were West Indies cricket legends who met with the four CARICOM Prime Ministers earlier in the day at the same venue.

Reports from inside that meet say the legends – Andy Roberts, Sir Vivian Richards, Deryck Murray, Wes Hall , Gordon Greenidge , Sir Garry Sobers and Michael Holding on the telephone from Miami and the Prime Ministers – were united on the need for change in the Governance structure of the WICB.

“Today was a very important one for West Indies cricket in the sense that we had the views and of course clear passion of the legends that have built West Indies cricket,” Mitchell said.

“They were here with us and expressed strong support for moving this process forward and eventually we were able to meet with the board to express the view for the necessity for change and I think we have reached a conclusion in that respect.”

The second meeting brought Cameron face to face with Prime Minister Gonsalves who criticized the WICB chief following the abandoned tour.

However both men were cordial to each other and were heard engaging in occasional friendly banter before and after the session.

The meetings occurred on the eve of the second Test match between West Indies and England, due to start at the Grenada National stadium on Tuesday.