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When the West Indies pulled out midway through their tour of India in 2014, no one quite knew what it would lead to. Now, there is a big possibility that the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) could be dissolved.
A five-man CARICOM cricket review panel was appointed after this incident, and the news that the BCCI (India’s Cricket Board) had suspended all bi-lateral tours with the West Indies. The BCCI also demanded $42million in damages from the WICB through media rights, tickets, kit sponsorship and in-stadia sponsorship to name a few.
The review pointed out that the WICB had been in disarray for 15 years and that the players boycott of the WICB administration in 2014 exposed the issue to the world. The deep divide between the two, constant player strikes, pay disputes and players’ loss of faith in the WI Players Association were some other points highlighted by this report. It also does not help that the Test side is the worst in the world and they are only above Ireland, Zimbabwe and Afghanistan in the ODI rankings as well.
The CARICOM report states: “We conclude that it is now urgent that a modern, transparent and accountable system of governance replace the existing model.”
The panel recommended that the best way to go about this, is to dissolve the WICB and start again, like Cricket Australia has done so: “They accepted the need for review and change, and produced a revised governance structure that emphasised professional competencies over territorial representation.”
