Not an easy road

Cricket in the region, last Sunday, got its much needed deliverance, when Kittian Ricky Skerritt and Vincentian Dr Kishore Shallow, were voted in as president and vice-president, respectively, of Cricket West Indies.

And, based on the reaction from many persons around the Caribbean, it appears that there was a resounding urge to see the back of Dave Cameron and Emmanuel Nanthan, who were seeking a fourth successive two-year term.

The 8-4 result in favour of Skerritt and Shallow, also suggests that the territorial boards were weary of the Cameron and Nanthan team.

This is against the realities that leading up to Sunday’s elections, it looked like there would have been a 6-6 tie.

Whoever broke ranks and may have turned a Judas or Judases on Cameron and Nanthan, is immaterial at this time, as CWI has new decision makers at the helm.

But amidst the many gleeful joy, and that support being thrown in favour of the new guardians, it must be borne in mind, that putting West Indies cricket on some level of respectability is not a simple process.

In fact, it will take some doing for Skerritt and Shallow to begin to make an imprint.

Ironically, they have at their disposal all that went wrong with Cameron’s tenure.

Therefore, part of the new configuration’s blueprint for success, is the correction of the many ills that Cameron has registered over the years.

First and foremost, the new guards have to, unlike their predecessors, display a sense of respect for persons in the Caribbean, inclusive of fans, stakeholders, past players and the governments of the region.

Getting some of the small things right from the get go, setting that administrative framework in place, and having a clear pathway for West Indies cricket, must occupy the focus of the new team.

To their favour though, Skerritt and Shallow have mapped in their ten-point plan, the route which they would traverse to better the sport.

So bettering the relationship with current players, getting the high performance centre back up and running and putting more resources into the cricket’s grassroots programme, are just some of the areas at the top of the list of “must do”.

Their put “Cricket First” mantra seems to have hit a nerve with many of the stakeholders around, hence the overwhelming support which they drummed up within the period leading up to last Sunday’s elections.

This was something fans of West Indies cricket was longing to hear, as it appeared that was missing from Cameron’s priority list.

But whilst this support is welcomed, Skerritt and Shallow have to be cautious against falling into the trap of attempting to get things done hastily and attempting to satisfy everyone.

Hopefully, we don’t see a repeat of handing out of positions to those who supported the new president and his vice-president, as we will be back to square one.

But the challenge is also on for the new guards to immediately weed out those personnel who are the obstructionists to West Indies cricket.

One would expect a shake-up in the selection committee and a firming up in the senior team coaching positions.

Of course, these changes must be done systematically and strategically, but with the merit and within the ambit of the legal framework of those person’s employment contracts.

Most significantly, the governance structure must be addressed with a view to reform, as the present setup has proven to be a recipe for the recurring decimal of the boys’ club structure that has configured the West Indies cricket administration over the years.

Readily too, the new persons at the helm, have to heal the wounds which would have sustained during the elections campaign.

Certainly, from some of the issues which have been unearthed would have injured the relations with directors, who are still part and parcel of the decision making of Cricket West Indies.

There is no quick fix for solving the most pressing matters affecting West Indies cricket, but what is the common factor, is that, most persons who still love the sport in the region, are singing the same tune, that it cannot be business as usual.

It is instructive that now more than ever, the Rally Round West Indies theme holds great significance at this juncture.