CWI Board of Directors were they " an Asset" or "Dunces"?
Independent reviews, financial analysts, and cricket legends have consistently put forward a roadmap of structural, corporate, and global recommendations to save West Indies cricket , yet the failure of implementation of the " ole boys club" has now led to severe financial difficulties. Where was this Board of directors who approved the last 5 year plans of Caribbean Cricket.?
Why did they not see today's pitfall?
CWI Board of Directors were they " an Asset" or "Dunces"?
A board member's fiduciary duty is to protect the organization and leverage assets. CWI leadership has repeatedly approved financial decisions that bleeding millions, while failing to secure reciprocal revenue:
The Multi-Million Transport Drain: CWI CEO Chris Dehring recently admitted a shocking statistic: over the last 15 years, CWI spent US$82.5 million on regional airlines and US$120 million on hotel accommodations to run its domestic tournaments. Despite dumping roughly $200 million into the regional tourism and travel sectors, the board managed to secure zero sponsorship dollars in return from those domestic airlines.
Unviable Franchise Models: The board took on the full financial burden of funding domestic franchise operations, paying $50,000 USD monthly per player for 15 contracted players per franchise, plus travel, without requiring the territorial boards to contribute financially. This model was inherently built to collapse.
To pull Cricket West Indies (CWI) out of its current financial nightmare and prevent future collapses, CWI must start focusing on three core areas:
Drastic Governance & Board Reforms
Experts argue that CWI cannot manage modern, multi-million-dollar sports assets using an outdated, politically fragmented system.
Implement the Wehby & Patterson Reports: Multiple independent governance reviews (such as the Wehby Report and the Patterson Report) have recommended stripping territorial boards of their automatic, politically motivated voting blocks.
Shift to a Corporate, Merit-Based Board:
Instead of appointing directors based on island-board loyalty, CWI must enforce strict corporate criteria. Board seats should be reserved for independent specialists with verified backgrounds in sports marketing, international finance, broadcast rights negotiation, and digital entertainment.
Establish an Independent Oversight Body: Analysts recommend creating an external, objective auditing panel to track the use of CWI funds, ensuring that temporary cash windfalls (like World Cup revenues) are invested into long-term wealth funds rather than absorbed by administrative overhead. Re-Engineering the Commercial and Domestic Model Relying entirely on unpredictable international touring schedules is a failing business strategy.
CWI must modernize its internal commercial engine:
Leverage Regional Barter Partnerships: If CWI is spending over US$200 million on regional airlines and hotels over a 15-year span, the board must leverage this massive purchasing power. Future agreements should demand reciprocal multi-million dollar sponsorships or equity stakes from these travel providers, turning a massive financial drain into a marketing asset.
Privatize the Domestic Franchise System: The current model where CWI fully bankrolls regional franchises is financially unsustainable. CWI needs to transition to a private ownership or co-ownership model, similar to global leagues, where corporate entities buy, manage, and fund regional teams, relieving CWI of the domestic salary burden.
Monetize Digital Media and Merchandise: Modern sports entities generate a massive percentage of their income online. CWI has historically failed to maximize its global brand footprint. They must build out an aggressive, centralized digital content strategy and global merchandise distribution network to capture revenue from the massive West Indian diaspora in the US, UK, and Canada. Aggressive Global Lobbying for ICC Revenue Equity No amount of internal cost-cutting will save CWI if the international revenue system remains stacked against them.
Demand a Touring Fee or Revenue Share Model: CWI must lead a coalition of smaller cricketing nations (such as New Zealand, South Africa, and Sri Lanka) to aggressively lobby the ICC to dismantle the 1997 host-retention broadcast model. Touring teams must receive a fair percentage of the broadcast revenue they help generate, especially when visiting massive commercial markets like India.
Establish an ICC "Test & ODI Sustainability Fund": The ICC currently distributes roughly 38.5% of its entire US$600 million annual revenue pool to a single country (India), leaving the West Indies with less than 5%. CWI must demand a structural equalization fund specifically designed to subsidize the high television production and travel costs of smaller host nations.
The immediate measures taken by CEO Chris Dehring, such as player pay cuts and tournament suspensions, are merely temporary band-aids to survive the 2026 cash crunch. Without implementing these structural corporate recommendations, the entity will remain locked in a cycle of financial ruin
Sarge