This is a case for regional heads to have more of a say in the governance of West Indies cricket – it comes from the Chairman of Selectors of the Georgetown Cricket Association and former Guyana batsman, Mark Harper.

It is in relation to ongoing WICB/WIPA – players fiasco, the team abandoning its tour on India.
“We always talk that we don’t want government’s involvement in sport but as soon as the West Indies get into any sort of difficulty they (WICB) always run to the ex-prime ministers or prime ministers to help them out, so it’s very amusing,” said Harper in an interview with Chronicle Sport.
“I think this is the time when the governments really need to stand up and say we need a bigger stake in West Indies cricket.”
Harper continued, “The West Indies Cricket Board seems to be a very private board and seems to want to do things their way only and they seem to forget that they don’t have any players and any grounds and anything and they are just custodians of West Indian cricket.”
Harper’s sentiments are shared by the Minister of Sport, Dr. Frank Anthony.
“It’s ironic because the WICB at some moments would want to consider themselves as a purely independent private organisation but what they do affects the entire region and therefore from time to time other stakeholders would like to have a say, and the current structure does not allow for other stakeholders to be involved, and therefore the models of governance that they have really need to be looked at.”
Dr. Anthony wants the recommendations of the Patterson report into West Indies cricket to be implemented. Guyana has submitted a nine-page document on ways to improve the administration of the regional game.
Harper said it’s a shame WI cricket has reached this stage, but it’s not surprising, given the type of governance he’s seen in recent times.
He believes all parties are to be blamed for the abandoned tour of India.
“The WICB, if they’re true to themselves, will see it was their responsibility to try everything to ensure that the tour went on and I’m disappointed that Mr. (Dave) Cameron didn’t go to India first thing to encourage the fellows to first finish the tour and when the tour is over sit down and have a discussion on the way forward. I don’t think players should have left mid-tour.”
In September WIPA and the WICB signed a new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) and Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). It was expected to mark the start of potentially better relations after years of dispute.
WIPA President Wavell Hinds pointed out that the document in effect meant that West Indies would adhere to a “pay as you play” system, with different categories of players depending on merit.
In the Wisden India report Hinds said, “I think it is spread out nicely … this document covers everyone in full.”
“It is important that we put the different categories in place from the start to the professional level. There is a pay as you play or a minimum salary retainer contracts up to the ‘A’ level that the WICB affords the international cricketers.
“But we think that it must be a meritocracy basis and that you have to earn your keep to get into the different categories. As the players association, once that was understood from the membership – and of course, we highlighted the fact that it is replicated and practised around the world – the players bought into it and the WICB had a similar vision, so it was easy to come to an agreement.
Some amount of WICB’s revenue would trickle down across to the regional group rather than solely to the international players. “
Cameron stressed that the central theme throughout the document was the success of WICB and the players would be linked, ensuring all parties were satisfied.
Talk of Sacking of captains:
A few days ago, St. Vincent Prime Minister Dr. Ralph Gonsalves mediated a five-hour meeting in Port-of-Spain and while he was tight lipped on discussions, told the Trinidad Express ‘’very good progress had been made.”
But there have been rumours of the sacking of the captains for the three versions – test, one-day and T-20. On this Harper said.
“It’s stupid actually to try and replace the captains because of this incident. If that happens it shows that the board is obviously blaming the players and I don’t think now is the time for that.”
Denesh Ramdin has been sacked as the T&T senior captain and Harper said there seems to be some whisper that a similar fate awaits Guyana’s captain, but “we have to wait and see.”
Harper is however confident that the dispute would be resolved before the Windies’ tour of South Africa.

(By Leeron Brumell)