KINGSTON, Jamaica – President of the West Indies Players Association (WIPA) Wavell Hinds says the annual Awards ceremony, which is held in partnership with the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB), provides the opportunity to showcase the exploits of regional cricketers.

“The Awards (ceremony) is important so that we can recognise and show great appreciation for members and players who make the sacrifice to go out and play for the West Indies on a consistent basis,” Hinds told the Jamaica Observer at Wednesday’s media launch at the Pegasus Hotel in Kingston.
“They also have to go out of the Caribbean and play in tough conditions, at times very far from home. As consummate professionals we expect them to have those sort of traits, but we still want to recognise that they do it.
“We want to make sure that the Awards showcase what West Indies cricket is about for the past year,” continued Hinds, who is also the chief executive officer of WIPA.
The third joint staging of the WICB/WIPA Awards, which will recognise outstanding players’ achievements in 2014, will be held on June 9 at the Pegasus. It will be broadcast live throughout the region on Digicel SportsMax.
WICB president Whycliffe ‘Dave’ Cameron, who has overseen a cordial relationship with the players union since he was first elected boss of the regional board in 2013, believes the Joint Award represents a symbol of unity in West Indies cricket.
“We have to show to our players how we feel about them,” he said.
“That (the joint award) is critical to making West Indies better. We want to say to our players and our players association that it’s a partnership and we not only want to show it in words, but by our deeds,” Cameron added.
There will be 12 award categories for players who have excelled in international cricket as well as at the regional level. Teams will also be recognised for achievements in regional cricket.
Batsmen Kraigg Brathwaite and Darren Bravo; all-rounder Dwayne Bravo; Test captain and wicketkeeper Denesh Ramdin; and spinner Sulieman Benn are nominated for West Indies Player-of-the-Year.
In the women’s equivalent, batters Stafanie Taylor, Deandra Dottin and Kycia Knight; and spin bowler Anisa Mohammed are the nominees.
The WIPA and WICB will each acknowledge one recipient for the Lifetime Achievement Award.
Legendary West Indies cricketers who have been knighted will also get recognition and will be dubbed members of the ‘Sir’s Club’. They are Sir Garfield Sobers, Sir Vivian Richards, Sir Everton Weekes, Sir Richard Richardson, Sir Andy Roberts, Sir Wesley Hall and Sir Curtly Ambrose.
Sir Hall will be the guest speaker at the awards function. (Jamaica Observer)