Close Vote Likely for WICB President

West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) directors will huddle in Antigua on Tuesday to elect a new president -- either Clarvis Joseph or Teddy Griffith -- in what could be one of the closest races in recent history.

On the eve of the election, based on public statements by member boards, the frontrunner to win the presidency is Griffith -- by a single vote -- but there is word the former Barbados and Jamaica all-rounder will withdraw at the last minute and hand victory to his close friend Clarvis Joseph.

"Clarvis and Teddy will not run against each other. At the last minute, one of them will do the right thing and withdraw," one source said, hinting that Griffith's recent health problems could lead to him pulling out of the race.

The 67-year-old Griffith has served for many years as a key negotiator for the WICB in financial deliberations and is a popular figure around the Caribbean. He emerged as the Executive Committee's consensus candidate (Guyana's Chetram Singh was the long dissenting voice) and was nominated for the presidency by Barbados and seconded by the Windward Islands.

Trinidad & Tobago's two directors, who was part of the EC consensus vote, has also pledged support for Griffith's candidacy.

On the flip side, Joseph was nominated by the Leewards and seconded by Jamaica and will likely carry at least one vote from Guyana. The Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) has played its card close to the vest, refusing to publicly endorse a candidate. Singh, who disagreed with the EC choice of Griffith, has hinted privately he will vote for Joseph but the GCB's second director, Bish Panday, is said to be leaning towards supporting Griffith.

WICB vice president Val Banks, the Anguillan banker who is acting as president, will vote for Griffith as per the EC mandate, sources say.

That scenario would ensure Griffith is the victor in close ballot.

And, that's assuming there are no switches when the secret votes are actually cast. There have been last-minute murmurs that the Windwards vote could be split, since Joseph and Griffith are both considered "friendly" candidates.

It is the WICB's second attempt in three months to find a successor to Wes Hall, who declined to pursue a second term. At the board's AGM in Dominica in July, Chetram Singh's nomination was derailed when the WICB learned that he would not be allowed to attend ICC meetings because of his legal bookmaking business.

The embarrassing fiasco only ended when Singh withdrew just before the Dominica vote.