PORT OF SAPIN, Trinidad - Next month, Dr Julian Hunte will be in a three-way fight to retain the presidency of the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB). He will be going after a fourth successive term, although he had previously hinted he might finally step down from the position he has held since July 2007.
Dr Hunte faces two contenders for the position—vice president Dave Cameron and former West Indies captain Clive Lloyd. To say that Dr Hunte’s tenure at the helm of the region’s governing body for professional and amateur cricket has been less than stellar is an extreme understatement. Under his watch, the deterioration in the standard and quality of play has gone unchecked. There is also a lack of accountability and transparency in the WICB, manifested in persistent conflicts between the board and players over contracts and other terms of engagement; unnecessary and costly arbitration, in which the WICB has been consistently on the losing end; and widespread indiscipline among players.
The vote, scheduled to take place during the WICB’s annual general meeting on March 27, is generating a great deal of interest and excitement throughout the region and internationally, particularly since confirmation from Mr Lloyd late last week that he will be offering himself as a presidential candidate.