No matter how long it takes
On 14th September 2020, Cricket West Indies (CWI) issued a press release stating that it had approved the timelines for consultation and the implementation of the Wehby Report (Wehby Report - SN editorial 12th August 2020), following the presentation of a paper titled “Governance Reform Report – Next Steps” by CWI President Ricky Skerritt. The CWI head called on the CWI Board of Directors, territorial boards, their members and all stakeholders, to do all that was possible to stimulate, encourage and facilitate the reading, discussion and consultation of the report.
The Wehby Report, prepared by a six-member task force, headed by Jamaican Senator Don Wehby, had been commissioned by the current CWI administration to review its operations and make recommendations on governance reform. It was the fifth of its kind handed over to the West Indies cricket board in the last thirteen years.
According to the press statement, the initial phase of reading the report and the ensuing consultation process had a proposed deadline of 16th October, which largely hinged on the ability of the territorial boards to effectively consult with their membership under the COVID-19 protocol group gathering limitations. It was projected that any resulting suggestions and decision making, including actual resolutions for change of articles, should be completed by 26th November, and placed before a face-to-face Extraordinary General Meeting of CWI slated for the middle of December 2020.
A recent perusal of CWI’s website for the current status of the Wehby Report only yielded a press release dated 8th December, titled, “Survey: Have your say on the future governance of West Indies Cricket.”
It further said, “The Wehby Report - on the Governance Reform of Cricket West Indies - was released in August 2020 and now it’s time to hear from you!
“As a valued fan and stakeholder of West Indies Cricket, we invite you to complete a short survey which will capture your view on the Wehby Report to help the Wehby Report Consultation Working Group (WRCWG) achieve its objective of facilitating feedback on the Governance Reform of Cricket West Indies.”
The release has two links, the first of which allows for the downloading of the Wehby Report, while the second, to the survey, unfortunately informs the potential participant that it is currently closed. Whilst one may be disappointed at missing out on the survey, one can quickly become engrossed in the contents of the Wehby Report which paints an extremely disturbing portrait of the state of affairs of CWI.
The details of this comprehensive 36-page
report might be revealing as to why CWI and its predecessor, the WICBC have stoutly resisted any proposals for the restructuring of its operations. In the Executive Summary it is disclosed: “The Task Force examined the importance of cricket as a public good yet administered by CWI as a private company without due cognizance of the public duty involved. The fundamental opinion of the Task Force is that the sustainability of CWI as presently constituted, and consequently the future of West Indies cricket, is at serious risk. The capacity of CWI in its current dispensation to carry out its duties of administering cricket as a public good is severely compromised. The Task Force found that the standards of governance of CWI fall far short of best governance practices and do not provide the accountability and transparency which are expected of a corporate body exercising an important and influential role in the sport which brings the Caribbean people together and which in essence belongs to the people of the Caribbean. “
Other noteworthy details include the citing of the ruling of the Supreme Court of India that cricket is a public good, the vital role of regional governments in West Indies cricket, the governance models adopted by other cricketing nations, including New Zealand, and the current unwieldy structure of the various committees. The recommendations to modernise the archaic administrative model, which more resembles that of a private club rather than a corporate entity, covers a very extensive range, even extending to the restructuring of the territorial boards along similar lines as those proposed for CWI.
The lack of announcements from CWI with regard to the initially proposed timelines is cause for grave concern. Why have there not been any press releases? What is/are the reason(s) for the delay? The COVID-19 pandemic is not a viable excuse, since the Windward Islands Cricket Board was able to conduct its AGM via Zoom in August. The longsuffering West Indies fan base needs to hear from President Skerritt, whose election had no doubt been prompted by the campaign promise of effecting the long overdue restructure.
Former West Indies fast bowler, Michael Holding, now an international television cricket analyst, had expressed heavy reservations about the endorsement of the Wehby Report by the territorial boards. Last August, in a radio interview with i95FM in Trinidad, Holding observed, “I doubt it very much because a lot of those people in my opinion are not there to help West Indies cricket; they are there because they think it’s a big deal to be a
part of the West Indies cricket board.
“If you’re not offering anything, if the board is not functioning as well as it should, you should be able to look at yourself and say ‘listen, we need to change this’. Even if I am one of the people that have to stay home, if this is going to produce something better [that should be the approach].”
Will the territorial boards, whose structures will also be subject to change, agree to these proposals? Perhaps Holding was responding to a very vocal Conde Riley, president of the Barbados Cricket Association and a CWI Director who declared at a media conference that his governing body had assembled a “high-powered” committee “to do a surgery on the proposals” with a sense of “urgency.” The controlling body here will no doubt be sprinting towards their favourite pitch, the law courts, to resist any suggestion of restructuring.
Whilst CWI directors appear to be angling towards a head-in-the-sand response, New Zealand, whose cricket structure once bore a close resemblance to ours, opted for changes seven years ago, similar to those recommended by the report. As the Kiwis ascend to the pinnacle of the cricketing world – runners-up in the last two ICC World Cups in 2015 and 2019, and currently in a good position to qualify for this year’s inaugural World Test Championship Final – the West Indies continue their descent into oblivion, having just been swept away by Bangladesh in a three-match ODI series.
Now is an opportune time to remind President Skerritt of his own words at the presentation of his ‘Next Steps’ paper, “There will be … likely political headwinds ahead, but I assure all stakeholders and lovers of West Indies Cricket that I will personally champion the important process of CWI Governance Reform, no matter how long it takes, especially now that CWI has received such a pragmatic and cricket-centric report ... Hopefully good sense will prevail, and CWI will show the world that we are serious about modernization and improvement.”
An avenue must be found to give the boot to the self-centred Luddites, who have no compunction about keeping the West Indies consigned to the backwaters of the cricketing world, while they bask in the sunset of its fading glory.