Stanford Kept WICB in the Dark
Fri, Dec 9, '05
The West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) was deliberately kept in the dark about plans for the Stanford 20/20 tournament, according to a report in the Jamaica Star newspaper.
According to an article written by Gordon Williams, WICB president Ken Gordon was led to believe that billionaire Allen Stanford was announcing a plan to honour past West Indies cricketers only.
The report said Gordon confirmed that the WICB was not invited to be involved in the planning of the tournament. Gordon said he was aware of "a launching thing for honouring West Indian cricketers" and "certainly supported the idea of doing anything he (Stanford) could to assist in this sort of building of a professional structure for cricketers."
But he said he was not made aware of the details of the plan before the announcement.
The WICB boss suggested the massive $28 million investment could have been put to better use. "Mr. Stanford's money and if that's how he wants to spend it he's free to do so. I certainly feel the longer term objectives of cricket might be better served with that kind of investment, if it were programmed in a different way," Gordon said.
Former West Indies captain Jimmy Adams is not surprised the board was blanked from Stanford's plans. "It doesn't surprise me that people find West Indies cricket something that is still worth investing in. What strikes me as more pertinent is that he (Stanford) is not doing it through the board," Adams said.
The 2004/05 Carib Beer cricket tournament, already reeling from a major cutback, has again been interrupted with the WICB announcing postponements that will push the tournament into next February.
The board said the match between Guyana and the Windward Islands won't be played until January because of heavy rainfall and flooding in Guyana. The game has been rescheduled for February 3-6 in Grenada.
The game between Barbados and Trinidad & Tobago has also been postponed until the weekend of February 3-6, 2006. That postponement is also due to the persistent heavy showers currently being experienced in Barbados and throughout the southern Caribbean, the WICB said.
As a result of the changes, the semi-finals will now be held from February 10-13, followed by the Finals on February 17-21.
The Trinidad Express reports that 20 cricketers picked by the West Indies selectors to prepare for the ICC Youth World Cup in Sri Lanka will begin a two-week training camp on Thursday at the Sir Frank Worrell Cricket Development Centre in Trinidad & Tobago.
The West Indies Under-19 cricket team will play five One-Day matches against Pakistan in a warm-up series before the Youth World Cup.
Among those selected to conduct sessions with the squad during the camp are former West Indies wicketkeeper David Williams (wicket-keeping), Zephyrinus Nicholas (physical training) and Dr Terrence Babwah (Nutrition & Injury Prevention).
Full training squad: Shamarh Brooks, Kemar Roach, Jevon Searles (Barbados); Jeremy Gordon, Leon Johnson, Richard Ramdeen, and Gajanand Singh (Guyana); Alton Beckford, Zeniffe Fowler, and Andre McCarthy (Jamaica); Javier Liburd and Kieron Powell (Leewards); Rishi Bachan, Jason Mohammed, Sunil Narine, William Perkins, and Kieron Pollard (T&T); and Heron Campbell, Andre Fletcher, and Nelon Pascal (Windwards).
The Express is also running a Colin Croft column where the former West Indies pacer expresses frustration with the ""stupid rhetorical noises" coming from the West Indies players.
Croft writes: "I do not know about you, but I am really tired of hearing that "we will do better in the next series". That has been the saying since way back in 1995!"
"Instead of the real true introspection that is normally required, even recommended and prescribed, especially when such gross incompetence at one's job displays itself, the standard crap of self-pity and dishonesty have again reared their heads. When will the rest of the cricket-loving Caribbean really tell these guys, or at least the majority of those who represent us, that their efforts are way below the level required by all West Indians?" he added.
Columnist Mervyn Stewart also used the pages of the Express to argue a case for Anthony Gray to be considered for a coaching gig involving West Indies teams.
"Gray, who just happens to be the most successful youth cricket coach in the Caribbean within recent years, was given a literal kick in the butt by the WICB when he was bypassed for the coaching position of the West Indies Under-19 squad that toured Bangladesh in January last year," Stewart lamented.
He noted that the job was given to Guyanese Clyde Butts, who at that time was not actively involved in any coaching duties, but was chairman of the WICB's Under-19 selection panel.
Stewart adds: "And now, with the 2006 Youth World Cup scheduled for January in Sri Lanka and with a 20-man unit in training, it seems that once again the powers-that-be are intent on overlooking Gray, though he has proven beyond a shadow of a doubt he's the most qualified person for the job."
The Antigua Sun reports that the AGM of the Antigua & Barbuda Cricket Association has been postponed for the second time in the space of two weeks because of a lack of a quorum.
The meeting, which is constitutionally due to be held by November each year was first postponed on November 28th and rescheduled for Monday night at 7:30 at the Antigua Recreation Grounds, but Secretary of the Antigua & Barbuda Cricket Association Martin Cave said the meeting had to be postponed due to poor turnout.
the meeting has been rescheduled for January 16, 2006 where incumbent president Enoch Lewis will be seeking his sixth term as head of the ABCA.