Ramnarine Blasts WICB Directors

(Trinidad Guardian)

President of the West Indies Players Association (WIPA) has called on all stakeholders in West Indies cricket to come forward and do a comprehensive review of 'the business of cricket.'

Addressing the Central Zone of the TTCB annual presentation function on Saturday, Ramnarine lashed out at the WICB for allowing insularity to kill the game. "Insularity is something that is killing our cricket. The Board knows this but they fail to address the problem. In fact I would say that insularity is more prevalent at Board level, with each territory looking after its own interest and not doing what is best for West Indies cricket."

Ramnarine said it was the public, players and sponsors suffer when the team is not performing. "The players suffer because those guys do not enjoy losing. And the ad hoc selection process robs people of their opportunity to earn an income."

He said everyone suffers, except those who are accountable - the administrators. "It does not matter if they pick an over-aged team to participate in the Under -19 World Cup. It does not matter if they lose large sums of money in unwise investments."

"It does not matter if they announce a coach without a signed contract. It does not matter if the West Indies team has declined dramatically from number one in the world to the other end of the table in less than ten years. It does not matter that first class fees have not increased for 15 years. What matters is holding on to power - retaining directorship or executive membership on the Board for life. This is frightening since none of these gentlemen has offered to stand down or resign on principle."

Ramnarine said if you have the same people doing the same thing, you cannot expect a different result. He said the time was right to get professionals into the halls of administration and on the field of play. "We cannot let amateurs run the game and play the game."

Pointing out that, like all West Indians, he was hurting because of the team's poor performances, Ramnarine said he was not trying to defend the players. "I fully agree with Ian Bishop that the time has come for us to stop making excuses. Regardless of circumstances, players must take pride in their performances."

He said that less than five percent of first class cricketers earn a decent living as members of the West Indies team. "Another five percent, playing some matches for the West Indies and playing professionally in England, can make ends meet. The remaining 90 percent are working below the minimum wage in T&T. When one considers that players spend nine to ten months vying for positions on the national team, knowing that many will not make it and the few that do will play 'professionally' for a mere three months, the question must be asked of our administrators what is being done to address this and how are we going to improve this in the future?"

He called on the players to take an active role in the management of the game. "If you don't take an active part in the management, we are going to go downwards and cricket is going to die."