The return of Cameron and Nathan has raised eyebrows

Dear Editor,

The news that Dave Cameron and Emanuel Nathan have been unopposed for President and Vice President of the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) raised eyebrows in several quarters because the two were severely criticized by some players, administrators, and fans for their failure to improve the summer game in the region.

The question was asked why no one has come forward to oppose the Jamaican and the Dominican.

Some say people are losing interest since there is too much cliquism and partiality and the right people for the jobs are not forthcoming. Clive Lloyd and Joel Garner who should have been at the helm did not throw their hats in the ring for obvious reasons.

In the meantime fans are losing interest because of the poor performance of the players, the constant conflict between the players and officials and the unfair selection of players in the senior team. It is not a secret that the turn-out at games is poor and one wonders why the Board officials fix so many matches in the small islands which do not attract many spectators.

Emphasis should be placed in the four big countries, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana and Barbados as well as Antigua, which have proper facilities and attract large crowds.

Fans can hardly keep track of the players because of the constant changes. One of the most reliable players, all-rounder Marlon Samuels, has been omitted from the 15 man squad to oppose England next month. This is unbelievable. Samuels played 71 Tests and 187 ODIs, and was recently cleared by the ICC to bowl following a 12 month suspension for illegal action.

Moreover the Indian Premier League and other high paying tournaments attract our players and have an adverse effect on the team’s performance.

There is confusion in some member countries among local officials. In Guyana for instance the same office-bearers have been in office for a long time and there is so much conflict that the issues have reached the courts and even then the problems continue. The Berbice Cricket Board ‒ an affiliate of the Guyana Board ‒ also has its problems and as a result nothing much is being done to promote the sport in the ancient county. This is so unfortunate since Berbice is known as a cradle of international cricketers starting with John Trim and later Rohan Kanhai, Basil Butcher, Joe Solomon, Ivan Madray, Roy Fredericks, Alvin Kalicharran and others. Yours faithfully, Oscar Ramjeet

I am reluctant to admit certain things, but in the interests of openness I confess. There are some people and some things that I miss by their absence and the bland void left. There is this unexciting dullness left in the wake of their exits in an increasingly dull time.

I miss the contributions of the former HPS. Given the sometimes lengthy (and forced) silence of his equivalent replacement, I sometimes wonder if the incumbent has not followed his predecessor through early retirement. The man now gone had two decades to entertain this nation. He did. He was a character, albeit a cartoon one for many a thrilling moment. I would not pay money to hear him, but in some respects I did, as I pay for Stabroek News’ print edition to be greeted weekly by his labyrinthine linguistic lustre, in which situation a distortion or two might be present, either by commission or omission. Like that American obfuscator of renown, Alan Greenspan, the local one’s star lost some of its jagged sparkle during his reign, and then descended rapidly before the glares of new days. Such is the fickleness of power and might. I know he is gone, and it is as should be; but the rare altitude flights of imagination, contortion, illusion, and obstruction did leave some memories, even though they were mainly corrosive. The laff lines compensated for the acids.

Another fine gentleman from the still disbanding old political jury who is missed is the former number two man; well, at least he was so identified on the charts. I know that the change in status has removed the ‘honourable’ from before his name, and I believe that his present comportment would not attract any criticisms if it was still used unofficially. Those full page dissertations (never a diatribe) indicated a still fluent mind at work. It is a real sharp mind, given that those political gospels were really full-page political advertisements placed in the letter columns at no cost. As said earlier: a real sharp player.

Through the measly differential of a mere 5,000 voters, the mighty are laid low, and banished to the obscurity of the boondocks. If only this gentleman and his brethren had learned from the deliverer: to share the loaves and fishes more expansively, their names would still be on the lips (and not the overactive bile ducts) of most. But I forget that the man is an engineer and not a historian. Still, he is missed for his calming measured contributions.

Such is the roll of the dice of power, and many a terrible reckless general litters the pages of history for the odium and calumny reaped. One self-glorifying