Wes Hall: 'Insularity has Diminished'
Sun, Jun 15, '03
Outgoing president of the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) believes the monster of insularity has "appreciably diminished" around the region.
In an interview with cricket writer Tony Cozier that appeared in newspapers around the Caribbean on Saturday, Rev. Hall conceded insularity has always been an "ugly aspect" that nearly destroyed the team in the 1960s but he insists it is not as bad today.
"You will always get the occasional comment that reflects it, but let us look at the situation this season. There were nine Jamaicans in the West Indies team, in either Tests or One-Dayers, and there is no Jamaican on the board?s executive committee, no Jamaican on the selection panel and neither the captain nor coach is Jamaican," said Hall, who won't seek re-election to the WICB presidency because of ill health.
"And the crowds were sell-out almost everywhere, not least in Grenada and St Vincent where there were no local players in the match. That must say something positive," he added.
Excepts of the interview:
On his achievements as WICB boss...
I thought from the beginning that the plans I had would take four years to come to fruition. Already some have, others haven?t.
One of my first aims was to ensure that there was reconciliation and healing within the board. I am satisfied that I?ve succeeded in that. The board is now a cohesive force. The members are together. There have been stumbling blocks along the way, as they always are, but I?ve treated them as stepping stones for God?s purpose in my life.
I want to mention the co-operation I had from the board and especially from the staff at Factory Road (the WICB headquarters in Antigua). They have pulled their weight with an increased workload and have been a pleasure to work with.
Very often they have fingers pointed at them and questions are asked about exactly what they do, why they have to be at matches and that sort of thing. This is uninformed comment from those who do not appreciate the tremendous contribution they are making. When you compare what we have with other international boards you will appreciate that we?re actually understaffed, but they simply get on with the job.
On the WICB's financial situation...
Our revenue streams were depleted by the fixed, ten-year ICC tour programme that allocated two tours annually to the Caribbean and set out a new procedure by which we are paid when we play overseas. In my first year as president, we lost US$1.5 million.
We borrowed from a Trinidad and Tobago bank last year to keep our doors open ? to pay our players, to keep our programmes running, that sort of thing ? and we expect to recoup some of our losses this year.
In the past year, we have signed sponsorship contracts with Carib for five years, with Red Stripe for a further three, with Trinidad Cement Limited for the Under-19 tournament and we expect to finalise a deal for the Under-15s shortly. Of course, we still have our valued sponsorship from Cable & Wireless for international series at home.
In addition, our much maligned and, I think, misunderstood deal with Sky Sports that kicks in next year and runs through to the 2007 World Cup will be a godsend.
On the poor performance of the senior West Indies team...
Naturally, I?d want them to do better, but we are in a transition period. Look at the ages of the players who have come into the team this year, almost as unknowns, and you can see that we have something to build on. With maturity, we will find consistency.
Already, I can agree with Michael Holding that we have one of the strongest batting teams in the world and I believe we are only three 90-miles-an-hour fast bowlers away from backing that up with a match-winning attack. We have the potential there in Jermaine Lawson, Daren Powell and Jerome Taylor.
* This interview first appeared in the Barbados Nation and Trinidad Express newspapers.