T&T PM: No need for political intervention in WI cricket

Friday, October 02, 2015 | 2:29 PM, Source

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad – Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley says there is a need for “modern, sensible management” of West Indies cricket but does not believe regional politicians should intervene in the administration of the game.

The Trinidad and Tobago leader argued that the sport in the Caribbean had been badly managed and said it was “disappointing” to witness the state in which it had now found itself.

Speaking on local radio here, Rowley said he had hoped that last year’s aborted tour of India could have led to a watershed moment in the management of West Indies cricket.

“I was kind of hoping that debacle in India would have resulted in the bankruptcy of the West Indies Cricket Board,” Rowley said candidly.

“If the Indians had pressed for their [US$] 42 million and the West Indies Cricket Board couldn’t pay it, they go bankrupt and get out of business and then something else emerges as modern sensible management of this resource, this cultural iconic part of our existence that is West Indies cricket.”

He continued: “It is really disappointing to see how we as West Indians have taken the best legacy that has been bequeathed to us and just ruined it by general misconduct.”

Rowley was weighing in on the latest controversy to hit West Indies cricket, where head coach Phil Simmons was suspended for questioning the integrity of the selection process, regarding the one-day team for the upcoming tour of Sri Lanka.