Latest update November 29th, 2024 1:00 AM
Panday not keen on extending cricket administration career
Promises to still help areas which supported him for elections
After losing 15-12 to Chetram Singh in the race for the Guyana Cricket Board Presidency yesterday, Bish Panday admitted that he was deeply disappointed with the results but stressed that he was not bitter with anyone.
The end? Bish Panday (right) is flocked by the media after his 15-12 defeat against Chetram Singh for the GCB Presidency at GCC yesterday.
“I have served cricket for many years and I have paid my dues as a cricket administrator. I have done a lot over the last two years to make Georgetown’s cricket an example for the others areas and I have a lot of plans for the revival of Guyana’s cricket,” Panday explained.
Panday spoke about his vision for Guyana’s cricket and disclosed that several prominent people in Guyana’s cricket were consulted before he publicly presented his vision statement last week.
“I spent a lot of time and effort in putting the vision statement together and not all of the proposals in the document are my ideas alone. Even though I have not been elected President today my vision statement is out there and I hope it can be of use to everyone,” Panday said.
Panday who is expected to demit office at the next GCA elections, said that he did not seek an executive position on the new GCB and seems intent on ending his career as a cricket administrator.
The city businessman said that while this is not the first time Chetram Singh has said he will be stepping down, he thought he was really going to do what he said this time, adding that this was one of the main reasons he decided to run for the GCB Presidency.
“When he decided to seek-re-election at the last minute I though that he was in the position for too long and changes had to be made to prevent our cricket from falling apart. I know my ability as a leader and I assembled the best and the brightest and I was confident that I could make a contribution to the development of Guyana’s cricket if I was elected President,” Panday explained.
When asked if he would
consider running for the Presidency in the next two years since it is felt that this will be Singh’s final term, Panday said that two years is a long time and he was not even sure that Singh would not decide to seek re-election again.
“I will always help cricket in whatever way I can and I will continue to help support the game in the areas that supported me even if I am no longer in cricket administration. As for Georgetown cricket….I know the GCA is in good hands since one of the qualities of a good leader is ensuring that you groom a successor and I think that I have done that,” Panday opined.
Many in the cricket fraternity felt that if Panday had waited a little longer and supported the incumbent President he would have been the natural successor to Singh. Sources close to both Singh and Panday say that both men have different positive and negative qualities and feels that although their styles are different they would both make good leaders.
Many local cricket administrators however feel that the rift between Panday and Singh has affected his relationship with many other people in the cricket fraternity.
They think that despite all the impressive work he has done for Georgetown’s cricket and his strong influence in the business sector, he is not as popular as he was among the cricket fraternity outside of the city as he was a few years ago.
While this might be so, Panday still has a lot to offer local cricket and should be persuaded to run for the Presidency in two years time since if Singh calls it quits, Panday, with his vast business experience, ability to acquire sponsors and years of being involved with cricket administration at a City, County and West Indies level, will make him the best man of the job.
And even though this elections campaign seems to have tired him physically and cost him time with his family, he is still young enough to become the GCB President if he still has the commitment and desire for the job by 2011. (Sean Devers)
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