Team Skerritt-Shallow: “Enthusiasm has lifted expectations”

The team of Ricky Skerritt and Dr. Kishore Shallow that took over the leadership of Cricket West Indies has marked its first year in office. On March 24, 2019, Skerritt rose to the position of president, beating the incumbent Dave Cameron by an 8-4 vote.

Dr. Shallow. Skerritt’s running mate, became Vice-president. On Saturday, Team Skerritt-Shallow issued a statement, reviewing its first year in office.

Below is the full statement.

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

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.

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”. 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, skillful, and confident cricketers, most of whom should be self-motivated and battle-ready.

As we prepare to deliver this report, 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. 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.

We welcome your feedback.

Skerritt-Shallow

April 2020