FORMER West Indies team manager, Mr Ricky Skerritt, and president of the St Vincent & The Grenadines Cricket Association Inc., Dr Kishore Shallow, have announced their candidacies for the CWI president and vice-president positions in the upcoming CWI elections.

Both nominations were supported by the Leeward Islands Cricket Board (LICB) and Trinidad & Tobago Cricket Board (TTCB).

The experienced Skerritt, 62, and youthful Shallow, 35, both have impressive leadership track records and share a lifelong love of cricket.

They have created a robust 10-point ‘Cricket First’ Plan that identifies the strategies needed to regain global competitiveness and dominance. It focusses on the skill and character development of young players with extensive use of science, technology and innovation.

Once elected, Skerritt has promised to immediately seek the reallocation of resources currently used for centralised activities by CWI to where it matters most – with local grassroots cricket, coaching development, and the territorial governing bodies.

“By my estimation, too much cost is being wasted on administrative and non-cricket-related activities including the high price of running an elaborate office for the president,” said Skerritt. “The budget for the president’s office has been growing alarmingly in recent years, and I intend to reallocate a sizeable portion of that budget to grassroots cricket,” he added.

The 10-point ‘Cricket First’ Plan presents strategies to simplify but strengthen administration, improve the regional franchise programme and increase support for younger cricketers through international exposure and a more decentralised High Performance System.

The plan promises a realignment of team selection criteria with a renewed focus on talent-spotting and development. It also calls for a repair of internal and external stakeholder relationships.

Dr Shallow said he was convinced to join Skerritt as a vice-president candidate because he holds the simple view that “West Indies cricket is far better than our current status suggests”.

“Ricky and I share the philosophy that the actual cricket must be placed first, with absolutely no compromise. West Indies cricket remains an extraordinary global brand which by all calculations has significantly underachieved. By leading a harmonised effort of all stakeholders, we would be well on the pathway to overdue success,” posited Dr Shallow.

In addition to the relevant 10-point plan, Skerritt and Shallow are expressing strong opposition to recent moves by the incumbents to create an ‘executive status’ for the elected office of the CWI president

Mr Skerritt said, “After six years as president, Dave Cameron’s intention to implement sweeping changes to the democratic process of decision-making within West Indies Cricket is troubling. His desire to lead CWI as a full-time executive is not reflective of the West Indies cricket ethos.

By advancing his plans for an autocratic leadership structure, which marginalises the role of commercially recruited executives, the incumbent has placed his personal thinking diametrically opposed to the values of West Indies cricket.”

In another action focused on the adherence to organisational best practices, Team Skerritt and Shallow have confirmed that they will also propose a six-year term limit on the presidency. Dr Shallow has himself recently successfully caused the enactment of an unprecedented term limit amendment to the constitution of his local association.

“I am convinced that a presidential term limit will remove much of the uncertainty and anxiety caused by the cricket politics and excesses that too often surround the office of president,” said Dr Shallow.

Twelve votes, two each for six member territories, are at stake in the upcoming CWI elections which are set to take place in Jamaica on March 24.