West Indies Cricket Board plans to uplift cricket in partnership with Caricom
http://www.senore.com/Cricket/West-Indies-c760 Cricket Board (WICB) has decided to seek financial, technical and logistical help from Caricom, a West Indian federation comprising ten regional states, in a bid to prevent further downslide in national cricket.
Caricom, which was established in 1973, works for development in the ten West Indian states including Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, Jamaica, Montserrat, St. Kitts-Nevis-Anguilla, Saint Lucia, St. Vincent and Trinidad and Tobago.
There is an abundance of cricketing talent in the far-flung areas of the island, but there are no strategies for the betterment of the game at domestic and national levels.
Now, the WICB is planning to expand the net of training and logistical facilities for cricket in all ten regional states, which can produce fresh talent for the game.
Talking to the local media about the plan, the WICB Chief Executive, Ernest Hilaire, said, “It is unthinkable that WICB alone can put in place a sustainable and successful programme and West Indies cricket can reach the pinnacle of world cricket without
the involvement of regional governments.”
He further elaborated, “In an age of the reliance on technology, improved training and playing facilities and advanced sports science practices, all other cricketing nations receive extensive support from their respective governments."
As Caricom is a governmental organisation, it will be hard for the board to avert political influence and intervention in its internal matters, after signing up for an affiliation with the community.
This may create problems for the WICB, as the International Cricket Council (http://www.senore.com/Cricket/ICC-World-Cup-2011-c100625) plans to induct a provision in its constitution to bar political interference and patronage in the affairs of all its member boards.
As per this new policy, the council will have the right to cancel the membership of a board which is found to be open to political intervention.
Despite the hurdles, analysts believe that WICB and Caricom partnership will work well for the promotion and development of cricket in West Indies.
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