By Avenash Ramzan
Hectic job and personal commitments are the reasons put forth by Drubahadur for his resignation as president of the Guyana Cricket Board.
In an exclusive interview with News Room Sport on Wednesday, the accountant said despite walking away from cricket’s top post, the board is still close to his heart and unlike popular opinion; there was no internal issue that led to his resignation.
“It was quite simple. My current job, and more recently I’ve acquired a new business venture, which I figure would need my input more than ever. It’s a new business, so one has to look at priority. For me, the Guyana Cricket Board is much bigger than I am. The fact is, I would not be able, because of these ventures that I’m in now, to give that time that I previously did give. I thought it in the best interest of Guyana’s cricket that I hand over the baton to someone else,” Drubahadur told News Room Sport.
He continued, “There was no issue. I have no issues with the Board. The Board is still close to my heart. Anytime they need me whether personally or my expertise I will definitely be there.”
News of Drubahadur’s resignation became public only this week, but, according to him, he officially resigned in February. Prior to becoming president four years ago, Drubahadur served as Assistant Secretary. He described the experience as great, functioning at the helm of Guyana’s cricket.
“Because for one, I had to learn to temper my own public image out there; I had to deal with adverse situations a lot, especially dealing with the media generally. It was a whole new experience from what I was accustomed to, so yes it was a situation that I relished,” the former president highlighted.
Despite presiding over a board that many detractors have labelled as illegal, Drubahadur believes he has left the game in a better state than when he took over the reins in 2013.
“Because when I took over it was at a point where the water was extremely rocky and while yes, it’s still a little choppy now, it’s not what it was before, both on the field and off the field. If we look at the performances (of the national cricket teams) for the last couple of years from junior to senior, one could see that from the point of play and off the field you can generally see some calmness,” he mentioned.
During his tenure, the board came in for heavy criticism from many aggrieved parties, and he shared how he dealt with such intense public scrutiny.
“It was dealt with for me (by) ignoring a lot of these comments, because we have facts and we have fictions, and only living in the house you know where it leaks. So that was quite easy,” Drubahadur asserted.
Meanwhile, the Guyana Cricket Board issued a statement on Wednesday afternoon, thanking Drubahadur for his service to the game. Below is the full statement.
“The Guyana Cricket Board would like to thank its outgoing President Mr. Drubahadur, who served the board for (4) four years as President. Mr. Drubahadur tendered his resignation effective 10th March, 2017, citing excessive business and familial commitment.
An accountant by profession, the outgoing President also served on the WICB Finance Committee. In 2011, Mr. Drubahadur joined the GCB as its Assistant Secretary and was elected in 2013 as the Board’s President during a turbulent period.
In his parting statement, this ardent cricket fan pledged continued support to the GCB and we look forward to his participation in all other ways possible.
The Executives and staff thank Mr. Drubahadur for his leadership during the difficult period and realize his worthwhile contributions to the current success of the Guyana’s cricket on and off the field of play.
Mr. Fizul Bacchus, current Vice-President of Administration and will serve as the President until elections of the GCB are held.”
