CWI President talks about his first year in office Proud of transformational changes at CWI

Apr 05, 2020 Sports

This year-one review is based on the 10 Point ‘Cricket First Plan’ that was the foundation of the Ricky Skerritt-Dr Kishore Shallow 2019 election campaign.

CWI President Ricky Skerritt

In March 2019, he was elected as the President of Cricket West Indies, along with his running mate, when they defeated the incumbent’s president Dave Cameron and vice president Emmanuel Nanthan by margins of 8-4 in a secret ballot.
“We are proud to report on the transformational changes now taking place at Cricket West Indies (CWI), after one year of our leadership.
We are especially pleased with the high level of enthusiasm that the rebuilding of relationships has aroused amongst cricketers, coaches, management, staff, and fans. But we are also aware that this enthusiasm has lifted expectations,” said Skerritt, a former West Indies team manager.
“At the start of our tenure, CWI teams were all ranked at the bottom of all ICC ladders, and we are mindful that those rankings have not yet improved.
“Although we know that there are no quick-fixes for climbing the performance ladders, we are firmly committed to the philosophy that improving the capacity, efficiency, accountability, transparency and financial well-being of the entire CWI organization, on and off the field, is a prerequisite for improving on-field results,” informed the former Minister of Tourism of St Kitts and Nevis.
“We are also re-establishing the proper role of the CWI Board, of oversight and policy making.
The professional executive management must be encouraged, and allowed, to carry out approved policy without undue, or confusing interference.
Our vision is for CWI to truly become both a trustee and a designer of West Indies Cricket, as “A Public Good”, said the 63-year-old Kittitian.
According to Skerritt, CWI’s main challenge now is to partner effectively with the cricket community and with all public and private stakeholders, to attract and gather together as much of the young talent in our region as possible, and to help them to develop into thoughtful, hard-working, and proud West Indians.
“CWI must develop, operate, and sustain a cricket system that is built on a foundation of heritage, global standards, proven best practices, and competent expertise. This cricket system must produce more disciplined, skilful, and confident cricketers, most of whom should be self-motivated and battle-ready,” noted Skerritt who has a bachelor’s degree from the University of the Virgin Islands and a master’s degree from Oxford University.
Skerritt, who along with CWI’s Chief Executive Officer Jonny Grave, travelled to Guyana in March last year for a two-day meeting with stakeholders and Government officials, spoke about the impact of the Coved-19 on the Region.
“The Coved-19 pandemic-related uncertainty is rapidly changing the global market for every product, service, or event. Unprecedented disruptive challenges are increasingly emerging for professional sports, including cricket,” lamented the CWI Head.
“But even in the midst of this unpredictable outlook, we continue to believe that the best way forward is for all stakeholders to work responsibly and strategically, together,” Skerritt concluded. (Sean Devers)

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