The West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) has written to four regional governments, asking for their support in the upcoming four-Test series against India. The series, scheduled for July/August, may see matches being played in T&T, Guyana, St Lucia and Jamaica if the Board gets approval from the governments.

Guardian Media understands that the WICB wrote to the governments, asking them to indicate their willingness to host the matches despite a Caricom that has been openly calling for the dissolution of the WICB.

It took good negotiating skill on the part of the West Indies to get approval from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for their team to tour the Caribbean and resume bi-lateral relations which was severed after the West Indies abandoned a tour of India in 2014.

Coming out of that Indian fiasco, Caricom and the WICB put together a committee to look at the governance of West Indies cricket. They recommended that the WICB be dissolved. Caricom has since been pushing for that although the WICB has been holding strong.

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In reply to CaribbeanCricket.com

These governments could not run a Mom and Pop store much less the WICB.

This isn't asking for support.

Its a put up or shut up exercise.

Lets see if trinidad for example say no to hosting the India matches

In reply to Commie

TT has never said it wont host that match. in fact Rowley is on record saying he is not oppose to ,and wont get into the business of denying, the hosting of matches. the WICB knows this and it is being proactive if not disingenuous in this regard. all the more reason the WICB in its current form should come to an end or be ended.

In reply to sudden

It is a wise move to verify support before Governments who want the current WICB disbanded withdraw support at a stage that puts any cloud on what is a 'makeup' tour.

That my friend is logical.

In reply to Commie

looks like an issue of trust and like the regional govts i wont trust WICB either. wicb seem to want to be more polarising than the politicians

Just read this at Nationnews.com "The West Indies are due to host powerhouses Australia and South Africa in a tri-nation One-Day International series in June but players such as former captains Chris Gayle, Darren Sammy and Dwayne Bravo aren’t eligible for selection as well as exciting all-rounder Andre Russell and hard-hitting batsman Lendl Simmons."

Unbelievable!

In reply to sudden

Whether they are polarising or not there is a major tour coming and fixture lists to be drawn.

Imagine you saying that the caterer for an event should be fired and they have their biggest annual event at your home. An event that bombed last year and is one of the reasons you are saying they should be fired.

Surely it makes sense for them to confirm whether they can still use your home for the event or whether they should make alternate arrangements.

In reply to Commie

when i have confirmed it already?

In reply to sudden

Before you went around telling everyone the caterer should be fired.

Isnt this standard practice for any tour?

In reply to Commie

after. that notwithstanding, the caterers' food may be good but it gives attendees the runs. how are you going to deal with that?

In reply to sudden

Does this mean they can or cannot use your home ?

You actually visualising the process right deh.

In reply to Commie

i have committed so yes they, in their present format, can use it, perhaps for the last time

In reply to sudden

You and Commie got me cracking up

In reply to Commie

Only from your twisted perspective

Does this mean they want governments to give them money?

In reply to Chrissy

You wouldn't know one thing about real life.

You are subsidised by both me and sudden.

In fact we are the 15 and you are the 90, according to your logic.

In reply to Commie

I shall post my defense of this later.

In reply to CaribbeanCricket.com

Forget Carigone. Bring all the matches to Sabina and Trelawny.Full support for the 'Yaadman". Jamaica can use the business right now.

In reply to Commie

None the gov't say they don't even want to host matches you know
they just want to see a change at the WICB
I have not signed the petition for teh dissolution of the WICB, because i don't have faith in gov't running it
What i want to see though, is structural change.

In reply to Commie

Whatever

In reply to Chrissy

I love you too.

In reply to buds

This is precisely why the Governments
must make them this Offer :

NO REFORMS NO MONEY , IT IS

JUST THAT SIMPLE .

The Regional Governments must stand
on Principle . When the WICBC wanted to host the 2007 World Cup , it came to the Regional Governments asking for Assistance to host the World Cup .
The Governments spent 500 million dollars of Taxpayers Money to help the BUMS . Roughly two years ago the
Regional Governments politely asked the WICBC to implement the changes recommended by the Patterson Report .
the WICBC bluntly refused to do that , and to show its utter disdain of the Regional Governments , the WICBC
immediately commissioned the Wilkin
Report .

It will be interesting to see if the
Regional Governments once again make ASSES of themselves , by once again assisting the BUMS .

Recently Emperor Cameron publicly stated that the WICBC had made a money . Let the Bums use that money .

Indelibly etched in my mind is is the fact that in this very Forum prior to
the 2007 Cricket World Cup , the Regional Governments needed to have the WICBC sign a legally binding document stating in clear unambiguous
writing that the WICBC will undergo
serious Structural Reforms .

The Regional Governments , was in a position to make those demands , They
did not do as I suggested . Now another chance has been presented to the Regional Governments to demand that the WICBC undergo serious
Structural Reforms .

WE will see whether the Regional Governments are REALLY SERIOUS about
having the WICBC undergo Reforms to
its Structure .

This is about PRINCIPLE , and whether

THE REGIONAL GOVERNMENTS HAVE THE

TESTICULAR FORTITUDE TO STAND UP &

CHALLENGE THE WICBC , RATHER THAN

ACCEDE TO THE REQUEST OF THOSE WHO

ARE DEVOID OF PRINCIPLE .

We will be able to discern those
Governments in the Region who are
willing to to throw away any vestige
of Self Respect they may have , to
accommodate The Real Pirates of the
Caribbean .

In reply to CaribbeanCricket.com

Why do they need support? Thy are an independent corporate entity, as they are prone to remind all and sundry. They have the local boards (wicb directors) in these terrotories who should be aware of the requirements to hold a Vricket game.

The Wicb has been doing ot for 75 years....what now with this need for support.

If the Regional Governments accede to
the Request of the WICBC , Sooner rather than later the WICBC will again
Snub them , it is appropriate at this
Juncture that the Regional Governments Remember this Adage :

" ONCE BITTEN TWICE SHY ".

In reply to johndom90

For the same reason that government gives subsidies to airlines, hotels and other industries. To bring economic activity to the country.

In reply to POINT

Point mi seh cyaa dem come a Sabina an Trelawny all a dem, wi wi save unuh all a di politrikcal problems wid WICB.

In reply to positiveg

Many people in this Forum did not do Comprehension in School so You will have to excuse them .

In reply to billydred

Yes I am fully aware that the Jamaican dollar is the highest in the Region .
So the matches can be played in Jamaica .

In reply to johndom90

If I were Trinidad I would tell them take their India match and shove it. The ATM closed.

Let poor countries in the region take this India tour and buss their skin.

That will yeah everyone a lesson.

In reply to POINT... exchange rate has nothing to do with this I am sure you are aware ... as quotes will always be in US$. The thing is it will go further in the Yaad.

In reply to johndom90

I think they wanna say they offering an olive branch. they know they asks countries to bid, and they usually do send out a PR saying such

Antigua already prepping to host India Test

The Sympathizers of the WICBC in this
Forum do not have a freaking Clue about
PRINCIPLE . They want the Regional Governments to assist the WICBC , and
sometime soon the WICBC headed by
Emperor Cameron will once again Snub
the Regional Governments .

HE is so full of himself , before
committing to these Tours , in my opinion the onus was on Cameron & the
WICBC to apprise the Regional Governments about their intention .

What Cameron has done is to attempt putting the Regional Governments in a Box , and have the people in the Region , turn against The Regional
Governments .

This is why the Regional Governments must stand firm , they must ask Cameron & Co why did they agree to the Tour without consulting the Regional Governments about their Plans .

LET THEM FALL ON THEIR OWN SWORDS

I don't see this approach as asking these countries for any sort of help. It's always professional to do due diligence up front rather than assuming what used to be the norm.

Times have changed so processes must change also to keep in line. Let me see who is going to say no to these lucrative offers especially for Guyana and T&T...

In reply to Commie

I kind of agree woth you...but its not a government/ cabinet decision if cricket is to be played at the QPO

Market forces and accountability makes the difference. Those other orgs are accountable for their performance...Wicb is accountavle to no one, as well as the fact that India will be sending a B team and test cricket on the whole is dead in TT.

In reply to positiveg

They are not offering an Olive Branch , Cameron wants the Regional Governments into doing what needs to be done so that the WICBC can make money while
hugging up its 89 years old Structure .

The WICBC has absolutely no intention of changing is Structure . They believe
that if the Regional Governments refuse to help Public Sentiments will
turn against the Regional Governments .

In reply to johndom90

You have made an excellent point ,the WICBC is not accountable to Anyone .

Support should not only have strings, it should have ROPE!!!!

In reply to positiveg

Any olive branch offered by WICB is short of olives and long on thorns....hold the olive with steel gloves.

As bad as it seems WI cricket has provided more full time jobs this year than most of the Caribbean governments combined, which has propelled previously under employed part time cricketers to full time employees with benefits.

The government should be applauding the WICB for actually doing a better job than them and injecting much needed foreign exchange in their local economy.



Lets see if Keith Mitchel stupid enough to do more damage to his local economy by telling the WICB they are not in support of hosting a visiting team.

In reply to carl0002

Dem fellas are the same geniuses who borrow money to PAY CPL to play matches by them.

T&T to host a test match? Maybe I'll for go for 2 hours on a single day, if its India...but Dhoni not going to be there... I'll have to think about it when I see the team because even the West Indies "Stars" won't be playing.

T&T to host ODIs & T20s? I'll go all the matches and bring friends.

A test match in T&T, even if its India, might not be well attended.

In reply to BenGman

Same thing i say.

Tt nationals have been denied test cricket for years causing a reshifting to T20, local league and international.

In reply to johndom90

Maybe if they produced pitches conducive to strokeplay they might have gotten more matches. Have you not seen the scores in the Nagico Super 50 and CPL matches held there? And these 2 formats of the game are tailor made for batsmen.

One must never be Arrogant & Imperious
because there will come a time when you would be on your knees begging for assistance .

When Cameron & Co snubbed the Regional
Boards by refusing to implement the
Recommendations of the Patterson
Report THEY SNUBBED the Regional
Governments .

To illustrate THEIR UTTER DISDAIN OF

THE REGIONAL GOVERNMENTS , THEY THEN

COMMISSIONED THE WILKIN REPORT WHICH

THEY SWIFTLY DISMISSED .

Recently Cameron Announced Publicly
that the WICBC was Flush with Cash .
However he is now begging the Governments for assistance .

I know the Machiavellian Tactics that
Cameron loves delving in , this is
simply another one of them . He is trying to box in the Regional Governments to sway public sentiments to his side .

BTW the Wehby Report aint going to be available until at least 2 years from now , because most of the Members of the Committee are very, very busy business People running various Countries , they are not Formen etc . These are people in charge of large Companies , and have to answer to the Stock Holders of their Companies .

That being the case the earliest WE
are going to hear from Wehby et al
is about two years from now .

It is therefore imperative that the Regional Governments take the WICBC
to Court . HELL how ,many Reports will it take to make the WICBC change its 89 years old Structure ???

In reply to Kay
Lucrative? Will there be fully booked flights of indians from the diaspora in North America coming over for the games? Maybe if it was the Barmy Army i might have agreed with you.

In reply to Priapus

So when Team West Indies struggling to make 200 runs, wherever in the world they bat....is the wicket fault? Or is the QPOval wicket have them so?

In reply to johndom90

No. Don't confuse poor batting technique with pitch conditions. Those very same pitches on which the WI batsmen struggle to make 200, the opposition batsmen feast.

In reply to Priapus

Poor technique and application in Test cricket by the WI is the norm,wherever they play,
blaming pitches as poor is a welcome plaster.

The scores in the last test match, Nz vs Wi, at the oval seem to reflect bat vs ball...and nothing else.

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In reply to johndom90

Exactly...the oval hasn't been banned for poor pitches.trinidad was banned for voting against Cameron.

It was Antigua and Jamaica that had tests abandoned for bad pitches and Trinidad that stepped in at short notice.

They are welcome to have a test match at the oval....but I doubt the Trinidad government could or would giv them the US dollars 500,000 they want.

In reply to johndom90

But you are re-enforcing my point that low scores by WI in recent times more often than not has to do with the incompetence of the batsmen than the pitch.

Are you denying that historically, the QPO pitch has been low and slow and not conducive to strokeplay? Do you remember Navjot Singh Sidhu batting almost 3 days for 200 runs? He could barely have gotten the ball off the square.

In reply to doublecentury

I never suggested that the QPO has been banned. I'm saying that the condition of the pitch could be a factor in why it has not received many matches in recent times. As far as i can recall the QPO used to get matches every year. In fact it hosted back-to-back games in 1998 after the pitch debacle at Sabina.

In reply to Priapus

Your point is a total red herring.You do know the 2015 test was moved from the oval to Grenada? You know why? win wards support to Cameron.

In reply to doublecentury

The same Windwards form which one of the island's PM has been at loggerheads with the Board? From what i heard it was the ECB's insistence that they play in the Eastern Caribbean. Something to do with the Barmy Army's desire for easy access (read proximity) to the beaches.

In reply to Priapus

Historically Kensington and the Oval were the two venues that guatanteed a result in the 80s into the 90s...unlike the batting paradises elsewhere. Dont even mention the Antigua sand track..

Trinidad has been on the neg ative because of Deryck Murrays aggresiveness and militancy when he was at the helm in the TT Board. TT is still paying the price even though we now have a company man president in waiting in charge.
Secandy wicb wants govts to bid for game. Let the fools build stadiums then play them agsinst each other. TT ent interested in bidding.....as commie said...let the poorer economies take win and have the games.