Peeking Under the WICB Hood (Part 1)

[ Part One] [ Part Two] [ Part Three]

For anyone wishing to peek under the hood of cricket administration in the West Indies, the best place to start would be the minutes of meetings of the WICB's cricket committee (playing and development). By pure luck, CaribbeanCricket.com has received copies of minutes of two such meetings (in Jamaica last October and in Antigua this January).

What follows are verbatim excerpts from the minutes of the October meeting (Jamaica), highlighting the major discussion points which include the selection process for overseas tours, the suspect bowling action of Dominican fast bowler Mervyn Mathews, preparations for the Carib Beer tournament and a report on the Under-19 youth tournament.

5.1 Code of Conduct.
The Chairman reported that he was unable to ascertain whether Mr. Michael Hall and Mr. Teddy Griffith were able to revise the Code of Conduct prior to Mr. Hall?s departure from office. Mr. Hendricks noted that a complicated draft of the revised Code of Conduct had been presented to the Seminar for Match Referees held earlier in the year. The Chairman pointed out that draft was the same draft, which Messrs Hall and Griffith were to have revised to make it less complicated. It was agreed that Mr. Cammie Smith, who was a very experienced international Match Referee, should be involved.

5.2 The WICB's response to recommendations from the Committee.
Sir Vivian Richards asked if the West Indies Cricket Board was attaching more importance to recommendations from the Cricket Committee (Playing & Development). The Chairman replied that there had been some improvement and cited the WICB's endorsement of the Committee's "Strategy for the Development of West Indies Cricket." Dr. Seepersaud noted that the Board's response to the "Strategy" Paper had been rather "luke-warm", and that he was asked to reduce the budget for the development programmes of strategy.

5.3 Selection Process on Overseas Tours of the West Indies Team. Sir Vivian Richards expressed concerns about the selection process on tour, noting that West Indies Team Coach, Mr. Gus Logie had indicated that he did not wish to be part of the selection process. The meeting was of the view that being a member of the Tour Selection Committee was part of the duties and responsibilities of the Coach of the West Indies Cricket Team and that as such it was mandatory for Mr. Logie to take part in the selection process.

Mr. Hendricks noted that it was a one-off decision to send the Chairman of the Senior Selection Committee on tour with the West Indies Team earlier in the year and was primarily in respect of the 2003 Cricket World Cup in South Africa, but that it was an expensive policy to continue given the state of the West Indies Cricket Board's finances. Dr. Seepersaud pointed out that fund had been provided in the 2003/04 Budget for a member of the Senior Selection Committee to tour with the Team, but that it was being re-considered. Mr. Nicholas reported that the Chief Executive Officer had confirmed that "a selector on Tour" policy was a one-off decision for the 2003 Cricket World Cup in South Africa, and that the Senior Selection Committee had been advised to the effect in January 2003.

The meeting expressed its support for measures to improve the finances of the Board, and hoped that whatever cost cutting mechanism was implemented would be aimed at reducing expenditure across the board and would not be restricted only to costs directly related to cricket and its development. However, given the concerns raised by Sir Vivian Richards, the meeting agreed to recommend to the West Indies Cricket Board that a member of the Senior Selection Committee accompanies the West Indies team on its 2003/04 tours of Zimbabwe and South Africa to chair the Tour Selection Committee which shall also comprise the captain, the coach and the vice captain, and one other member co-opted by the afore-named members.

The meeting took cognizance of plans by the Board to improve its financial position by implementing cost-effective measures, and therefore also agreed that should it prove impossible at this time to finance the inclusion of a member of the Senior Selection Committee in the West Indies Tour party for the 2003/04 tours of Zimbabwe and South Africa, then the Tour Selection Committee shall comprise of the Coach as Chairman, the captain, the vice captain and one other member co-opted by the afore-named members, and that there shall be regular consultation between this Tour Selection Committee and the Chairman of the Senior Selection Committee on the question of selection of teams for matches during the tours.

5.4 The Shell Cricket Academy of St George's University.
The Chairman informed the meeting that the Report on the 2003 Course at the Shell Cricket Academy was to be made available to members at the meeting but that he had not received the copies of the report as promised. He undertook to have them circulated as soon as possible.

The Chairman reported that there had been no feed back on legal advice to possibly relocate the Academy to one of the campuses of the University of the West Indies in 2004.

It was reported that the sponsorship contract between Shell and the West Indies Cricket Board had ended. The meeting was of the view that it was therefore an opportune time to review the academy needs of West Indies cricket. It consequently appointed a 3-member Committee comprising the Chairman, Mr. Andy Roberts and Mr. Roland Holder to examine in detail the needs of West Indies cricket in terms of an academy, including the question of whether or not there was a requirement for one Academy, or a number of schools of excellence in various territories which would feed the academy with the best available quality talent in the region.

At 4.24 p.m, Sir Vivian Richards was excused from the meeting to fulfill another engagement.

5.5 Mental Skills Development.
Dr. Seepersaud reported that he had forwarded the proposals to the Chief Executive Officer who had promised to take it to the Board. The Chairman undertook to follow-up the matter with the CEO.

6.0 REPORT ON THE 2003 REGIONAL UNDER-19 CRICKET TOURNAMENT.
6.1 Chairman of the Junior Selection Committee, Mr. Clyde Butts' Report on the Tournament had been circulated previously. Mr. Butts led the discussion on the Report noting that the Tournament was competitive but lacked the standard and quality cricket expected. He pointed out that Trinidad and Tobago, who emerged champions of the 4-day and 1-day competitions appeared to have been the best organized and prepared team. He reported on the various components of the tournament, and pointed out that it was well organized with only minor hitches. Mr. Butts noted that young Xavier Marshall required mentoring and mental development.

6.2 During discussion of the Report the suspect bowling action of fast bowler Mervyn Mathews was drawn to the attention of the Committee. Dr. Seepersaud showed computerized video-clips of the action. He reported that cricket coach Mr. Kenny Benjamin had done some work with Mr. Mathews and others at the Antigua Recreation Ground (ARG) during Zone "B" of the 2003 Red Stripe Regional 1-day Tournament. Dr. Seepersaud noted that a form detailing the problems associated with Mr. Mathews' bowling action would be forwarded to the cricket authorities in his native Dominica.

6.3 Mr. Roberts believed that suspect bowling actions began before cricketers reached the Under-15 level, and expressed the view that they should be observed at the under-12 level. The general impression was that suspect bowling action could emanate from young bowlers being required to bowl on full length (22 yards) pitches when in fact they may not be sufficiently developed physically to do so.

6.4 Concerns were expressed about the level of the coaches attached to the national teams especially in the Regional Under-15 and Under-19 Tournaments. The meeting was of the view that in the best interest of the proper development of the cricketers and by extension of the development of West Indies cricket, all coaches appointed to National Teams must be chosen from those recognized by the West Indies Cricket Board.

6.5 The meeting reviewed its earlier decision that in order to avoid "burn-out" fast bowlers in the Under-19 and Under-15 Tournaments should be restricted to bowling spells of no more than six overs with a mandatory recovery period of one (1) hour prior to another spell. It was discovered that the system could be abused if bowlers were used for less than the stipulated six-over spells, and it was agreed to add the clause "or proportionate time prior to another spell, provided that no fast bowler shall bowl more than a total of eighteen (18) overs in a day?s play." It was further agreed that the rule would apply even though the bowler switched from fast bowling to spin bowling.

6.6 The Committee examined the fixtures for the tournaments and noted that the home team was always given an unfair advantage. It was therefore agreed that in future, the relevant Officer(s) at the Secretariat of the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) must prepare fixtures for the Under-15 and Under-19 Tournaments, with the host territory fixing only the venues for matches, as is the case with the Regional Senior 4-day and 1-day Tournaments.

The meeting adjourned at 6.05 p.m and re-convened at 9.35 am on Tuesday, 21st October 2003.

6.7 Concerns were expressed about the standard of the pitches in the tournaments. It was the view of the meeting that the time had come to make a firm statement to the West Indies Cricket Board about the poor standard of pitches. Mr. Davis and Mr. Roberts offered the benefit of their experience in preparation of pitches at the Queen?s Park Oval and the Antigua Recreation Ground respectively. It was felt that the various methods used by the curators at the Test Venues could be documented and circulated to all first class venues so that the grounds men in the territories could benefit from each other's experience.

Dr. Seepersaud gave a brief verbal report on the most recent Curators' Workshop and undertook to circulate the report to members. He noted that not all the curators from the Test Venues attended the workshop and explained that the invitation was normally sent to the member territories that selected the participants. Dr. Seepersaud was asked to ensure that the curators at the Test Venues were invited to future curators' workshops.

6.8 The meeting considered Chief Cricket Operations Officer, Mr. Zorol Barthley's Discussion Paper on Youth Tournaments (Under-15 and Under-19), and endorsed the recommendation that the WICB reverts to the policy of rotating the host territories.

6.9 It was also agreed that the Cricket Operations Division of the WICB should explore the possibility of extending matches of the Under-15 Tournament to two (2) days duration, and should also endeavor to organize the Tournament in July each year.

7.0 REVIEW OF THE 2003 RED STRIPE BOWL REGIONAL 1-DAY TOURNAMENT.
7.1 The Cricket Operations Officer, Mr. Nicholas presented a verbal report on the 2003 Red Stripe Bowl Regional 1-Day Tournament, which concluded two days previously, on 19th October 2003. He pointed out that the tournament was well organized; that the West Indies Under-19 Team performed well; that the participating teams appeared to be well prepared; and that during the tournament, there were adequate days for practice. Mr. Nicholas noted that there were not too many high scores, and that some teams complained that the tournament was too lengthy.

7.2 Sir Vivian Richards expressed disappointment at the performances of some of the leading cricketers. He hoped that their attitude and approach would change during the pre-tour Camp, which was taking place in Antigua. Sir Vivian said he was impressed with young fast bowler Ravi Ramphal and the young wicket keeper from the West Indies Under-19 team.

He noted that there was a great deal of cricket ability in the region, but that there was much room for improvement in the approach to the game. He pointed out that Shivnarine Chanderpaul did a fairly good job as captain of the Guyana team. He offered congratulations to Guyana for winning the Tournament and was of the view that Guyana displayed "what being competitive was all about." He expressed concern about the absence of programmes to keep young cricketers interested in the game. Sir Vivian noted that there was too much time between matches and said that he understood it arose because the Sponsors of the Tournament objected to two matches being played on one day, and also objected to matches being played at Sabina Park.

Sir Vivian cautioned that scheduling matches, especially the final, in rural areas took cricket away from the proper environment in which it should be played. Mr. Nicholas explained that the venues were determined after discussions between the sponsors and the Marketing Division of the WICB. The meeting expressed deep concern about the practice, and noted that the poor standard of regional cricket grounds other than the traditional venues for first class matches and Tests was not conducive to uplifting the standard of cricket in the region. The meeting agreed to draw this to the attention of the Board and to point out that playing on sub-standard grounds could lead to a further deterioration of West Indies cricket.

7.3 Mr. Butts pointed to the need for a proper dress code on and off the field of play. He reported that because all the teams in Zone "B" of the Tournament played in Antigua were accommodated at the same Hotel (Jolly Beach Resort), the senior cricketers had a tremendous influence on members of the Under-19 team, and that the manner of dress of most of the senior cricketers was no example for the youngsters.

7.4 The meeting discussed the appointment of Shivnarine Chanderpaul as captain of Guyana instead of Ramnaresh Sarwan, who had earlier in the season been appointed Vice Captain of the West Indies team and was obviously being earmarked to succeed Brian Lara as captain of the West Indies Team. It was however acknowledged that the territories reserved the right to appoint a captain of their choice without regard to the leadership succession plans of the West Indies team. Dr. Seepersaud reported that the planned Leadership Training Course was not held because of conflict with the West Indies Players Association (WIPA).

7.5 Mrs. Browne-John observed that outside of home and overseas series, the West Indies cricket Coach did not appear to be involved in any coaching programmes. It was agreed to ascertain if the Coaches' duties as detailed in his terms of employment included involvement in coaching programmes other than those directly related to the West Indies team. Dr. Seepersaud undertook to utilize in coaching and development programmes, as many as possible of the WICB's full time officers.

7.6 Mr. Butts raised the matter of the preparation of the Under-19 team for the Tournament, pointing out that the Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board of Control organized the 2-week training camp, and that the Junior Selectors and the coach joined the Camp for only three (3) days. Upon investigation, it was discovered that there was some confusion over the appointment of the Coach. It was noted that the Cricket Committee (Playing & Development) was not consulted on the matter. The meeting expressed its deep disappointment at the manner in which the Coach was appointed. Members complained of a lack of respect for the approved role and functions of the Committee, and there was a suggestion that the Committee should resign en bloc.

7.7 The meeting expressed surprise that under the points system for the Tournament, one (1) point was awarded to the team losing a match. Mr. Nicholas explained that it was more or less a "participation point", and was an innovation of the Marketing Division and the sponsors, who were of the view that a team like Canada could take part in the tournament, lose all their matches and have nothing to show for participating. He acknowledged that the proposal should have been referred to the Cricket Committee, but pointed out that it was an experiment for the 2003 tournament only. It was drawn to the attention of the Operations Division through Mr. Nicholas that there were certain matters, listed under the Committee's Terms of Reference that must first be referred to the Cricket Committee for consideration.

8.0 PREVIEW OF THE 2004 CARIB BEER REGIONAL SENIOR TOURNAMENT.
8.1 Mr. Nicholas updated the meeting on plans for the 2004 Carib Beer Tournament. He pointed out that it was scheduled to start on 16th January 2003 with the Final scheduled for 5th to 8th March. He noted that all arrangements for Kenya's participation had been finalized; that the team was scheduled to arrive in the West Indies on 12th January and would play its first match in the British Virgin Islands.

He reported that some member territories were unhappy that matches had been scheduled at non-traditional venues because the sponsors felt that their products could not receive maximum exposure at venues such as Kensington Oval, Barbados. Mr. Nicholas explained for this reason, the sponsors had withheld some of the sponsorship fees for 2002. He disclosed that the WICB was exploring the feasibility of playing the Jamaica vs. Trinidad and Tobago match in south Florida over the weekend of February 19 to 22, 2004 with Jamaica as the host team.

He explained that it would be less costly to stage the match in Florida than in Trinidad or Jamaica. He noted that the venue was not a full sized field but that the other facilities were okay. He made it clear that the matter was not finalized, and that the fixtures were being considered by the territorial Boards/Associations. Mr. Nicholas told the meeting that hotel reservations and travel itineraries for teams were already in place; that the umpires would be appointed during the first week of December; and that the territorial Boards/Associations would be appointing the Match Referees.

Dr. Seepersaud congratulated Messrs Jackie Hendricks and Cammie Smith for conducting a successful Match Referees Seminar. Mr. Nicholas noted that the first three weeks of the 2004 Carib Beer Tournament would provide the opportunity for young talented cricketers to make their mark in the absence of members of the West Indies team who would be on tour of South Africa at that time. Mr. Hendricks reported on poor administration and unsuitability of the ground for an invitation match involving Jamaica in south Florida earlier in the current year. He said that he was insisting that a match or matches be played on the pitch prior to the proposed Carib Beer fixture, and that arrangements were still be worked out with the Jamaica Cricket Association.

* Look for part two which will include discussions on the bonus points system for the Carib Beer Cup, the accreditation of level II coaches, the preparations for the upcoming England and Bangladesh tours, the remedial work on Jermaine Lawson's bowling action and payments to junior selectors.