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 region’s beloved sport.
Dr Rowley revealed that CARICOM, in collaboration with Cricket West Indies (CWI), has been working assiduously to implement a working solution to plans 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 a lack of quorum. Despite frustrations, Rowley emphasized 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 has played a role, and we have paid our dues. We need to be treated with more respect and have more resources from the ICC to get those resources to align our game with what is required in today’s sport.”
Dr Rowley turned his attention to recent decisions by Cricket West Indies and the Caribbean Premier League (CPL), which he believes have marginalized CARICOM’s input. He highlighted the absence of CARICOM representatives at recent CPL meetings, suggesting a lack of collaboration and transparency.
Looking ahead, Dr Rowley revealed that the next CARICOM-CWI meeting is scheduled to take place in Barbados and that more fruitful developments will be made to aid the regional game.
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