By Rajiv Bisnauth

DESPITE West Indies abject on-field performances, Cricket West Indies (CWI) 10-point plan, aimed at reviving the game in the Caribbean is moving apace, according to CWI president Ricky Skerritt. Skerritt, a past Tourism Minister in St Kitts and Nevis, unveiled the ten-point plan during his election campaign. However, he firmly believes that with the 10-point plan making significant stride, the pathway forward for West Indies cricket remains in good hands. The plan presents strategies to simplify and 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.
“I don’t really have any serious disappointments about the plans that we have made, and the plans we fine-tune, once we recognise how difficult the reality of the situation was. There are really six items in the 10-point plan that have gotten significantly off the ground.

“We are very serious about the 10-point plan, but that plan has grown; but at the same time we have made tremendous progress internally, strengthened the organisation and made the organisation better equipped to carry out what’s needed to build future successful cricket teams.” he said during the Mason and Guess Radio Programme.
He added, “Coaching education is among the 10-point plan along with the creation of a cricket-centric culture which is crucial to us. When I got into office CWI was about 80 percent politics and 20 percent cricket. We try to flip that and get Cricket West Indies to be more like 80 percent cricket and 20 percent politics, but we haven’t got there yet
“In fact we are still a long way from that, but we have made a big stride. Having relationship with stakeholders was not important in the past, but it very important to us now. We try to have good relations, including our creditors so that we can continue to do commercial activities without too much stress.”

The revamp of the selection system, the optimum use of technology and utilisation of regional expertise are also perceptible. Further, Skerritt pointed that he has no problem taking the responsibility for the Caribbean side’s poor showing, but what is interesting is none of the cricketers who played for CWI over the last two years were products of his administration.
“None of the cricketers who played for CWI over the last two years were products of my administration, every product of the cricket administration is a cricket product, and I take ownership of the cricket product, be it president or not, but what I hear coming out every time I speak to some journalist is that somehow I am to be blamed because we lost the last match,” he reckoned.
Skerritt further stressed, “I have no problem taking the responsibility for any losses, but the truth is that we have lost every major ODI, especially ODI encounter for a long time.
“Our ODI standard is very low, and there is reason and when you send a team that is not the full team, and you really struggling to play ODI cricket at the level you want to, you will be in trouble”. In closing, the CWI president said while he is responsible for creating an environment where resources and the right personnel are in place, the strategy for strengthening the ability to produce cricket products remains his top priority.