commentary by VANEISA BAKSH

Caricom Governments invested upward of US$ 500 million to host the ICC Cricket World Cup 2007 – stadia alone accounted for just over US$ 300 million – a figure said to be more than the entire cost of CWC 2003 to hosts, South Africa. Such an investment was based on projected returns that were highly optimistic, if not reckless, according to one Caribbean economist.

Responding to warnings from the International Monetary Fund that the net effect of the CWC could be negative, Jwala Rambarran, a former adviser to the IMF's executive director, criticized regional governments for accepting glowing projections from one CWC consultant without seeking second opinions.
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no comments on Ms. Baksh :lol:

Another bad advert - if more were needed - for socialist planning. If Caribbean governments can't even organise a financially viable sporting tournament, who would trust them with the restructuring of entire economies to break free from the tyranny of neo-liberalism?

The WICB has once again missed to boat. Like I said before, its a bunch of dinosaurs running our cricket with dinosaur mentality.

No new ideas, same bullshit different day. them trapped in a 1950s time capsule or something

Investment takes money. Everyone know what needs to be done, but until we have money, nothing can be done.
Why would Caribbean governments invest 500 million in a world cup, but cannot invest 20 million in the players? If you cannot invest in the product, then it was foolish to invest in the stadia.

What you Sow is what you Reap.

It is good to see both Ms. Baksh and Fazeer taking it to the WICB.
No word from the WICB if any Monetary help was forwarded to bring the stadiums to 'WORLD ' standards from the ICC a la FIFA.Some body had to make a lot of money to hoodwink all the governments at the same time to invest in such a foolish venture.
It is perhaps the gullible nature of our separate governments who in their own way think that massa days done but in essence and all practicality makes the most dumb decisions to show up the Colonial Masters but end up being laughed and jeered at by the same Colonial Masters.
They will all pay for their stupidity. Back to the same IMF with their hats in hand and slave days start all over again.

While it was good for the WI to invest in the infrastructure, the WICB should have sought more financial help from the icc. seems like ICC eat all the food from tv rights while WI people stood all the cost.

In reply to CaribbeanCricket.com
I am tired and sick of all this after the fact baloney.

People on this board predicted and pointed out all this a long time ago.

Right here on this board we questioned the legal minds who were advising the regional Goverments and the WICB after reading the documents put forward to support this world cup and the unrealistic inflated pie-in-the-sky projections. We were not secong guessing anything. We went straight to the point.

Why now all of a sudden we have all this monday morning quarterbacking? Is'nt all this a little too late?

It is now time to pay the price for stupidity.

The WICB and Caribbean Governments have failed to capitalise on one single product they were gifted, the Legend Brian Charles Lara.

What is needed $500 million US dollars? Over 15 years, the Legend could have been marketed more than 100 times raking in over US$20million each time, thats is US$2 billion. With a Legend like that and the world clamouring to see him, all the WICB and Caribbean Governments had to do was get the TV rights.

Zee TV will do it. Other countries will do it. Lara will play because genius loves their talent on expose.

Stupid people now complaining. Lara alone could have been the Gross Domestic Product of many Islands in the caribbean.

But we have brains for personality conflict borne from insularity which really is our low self esteem. How Lara was born to us I really cannot understand, we so stupid.

Yuh never see how we does behave? As soon we get promoted and we have a little authority, suddenly we behaving like the European adopting their culture and meting treatment out to our own people like we are massas.

In reply to frangela
I refrained from putting it that straightforward. At least you did not hold back.

That is how deep it goes brother.

In reply to Baje

So tell me WHY SHOULD THE REGIONAL GOVERNMENTS HAND OVER $20 MILLION DOLLARS TO THE PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN AKA THE WICB . An Entity whose financial status is a much more guarded secret than the CIA , FBI , KGB , THE MOSSAD ET AL . Also not known for Transparency nor Accountability .

Surely you jest , FYI every 4 years the WICB and the other major Cricket Countries get $50 million dollars . This works out to $12 million plus dollars every year . This year because they are the hosts , the WICB is getting an additional $54 million dollars . YOU NEED TO ASK THE MEMBERS OF THE WICB HOW THEY ARE GOING TO SPEND THE MONEY THEY ARE GOING TO RECIEVE FROM THE ICC .

Until the WICB is completely restructured , and certain things put in place the WICB MUST NOT GET ANY FUNDS OR CONCESSIONS FROM THE REGIONAL GOVERNMENTS .

Frankly the WICB is indebted to the Regional Governments who spent taxpayers money to facilitate the hosting of the World Cup . HOW MUCH FREAKING MONEY DID THE WICB SPEND ????

If the WICB claims it has no wherewithal to build Academies , make our team competitive , improve cricket in the Region , then they must relinquish the governance of Cricket in the Region .

In reply to Baje

So tell me WHY SHOULD THE REGIONAL GOVERNMENTS HAND OVER $20 MILLION DOLLARS TO THE PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN AKA THE WICB . An Entity whose financial status is a much more guarded secret than the CIA , FBI , KGB , THE MOSSAD ET AL . Also not known for Transparency nor Accountability .

Surely you jest , FYI every 4 years the WICB and the other major Cricket Countries get $50 million dollars . This works out to $12 million plus dollars every year . This year because they are the hosts , the WICB is getting an additional $54 million dollars . YOU NEED TO ASK THE MEMBERS OF THE WICB HOW THEY ARE GOING TO SPEND THE MONEY THEY ARE GOING TO RECIEVE FROM THE ICC .

Until the WICB is completely restructured , and certain things put in place the WICB MUST NOT GET ANY FUNDS OR CONCESSIONS FROM THE REGIONAL GOVERNMENTS .

Frankly the WICB is indebted to the Regional Governments who spent taxpayers money to facilitate the hosting of the World Cup . HOW MUCH FREAKING MONEY DID THE WICB SPEND ????

If the WICB claims it has no wherewithal to build Academies , make our team competitive , improve cricket in the Region , then they must relinquish the governance of Cricket in the Region .

In reply to Star

Yep. Sad, very sad but so true. You and I will yet try though - from our neighbours to the workplace to wherever we trod. We have confidence in ourselves so we have to help. Stay up.

Later.

In reply to CaribbeanCricket.com

It would be helpful if those who profess to be Sports Journalists , stop diagnosing the problem , state who is at fault and offer solutions . WE ALREADY KNOW WHAT IS THE PROBLEM .

I have yet to hear any calls for a restructuring of the WICB from the author of this article or her fellow so called sports journalists .

I have made no bones aboutit , byt it is a fact that those in this Region who profess to be Sports Journalists are duplicit in the sad sorry state of Cricket in the Region , mainly because they bluntly refused for decades to be critical of the WICB .

This attitude has for the most part helped the members of the WICB to solidify their hold on the WICB . WERE THEY REAL JOURNALISTS , THEY WOULD HAVE BEEN ABLE TO HAVE THE WICB ON THE BACK FOOT BY ASKING QUESTIONS THAT NEED TO BE ASKED . It is truly sad that they still refuse to do so .

No articles on the lack of accountability of the WICB , neither transparency . The fact that some of the Regional Board Presidents act as Rajahs ,due to lack of term limitations . These are aress where they can do a service to the nation , but rather than investigate , they prefer , like Tiny Tim to tiptoe through the tulips .