In the feature address at the Queen’s Park Cricket Club’s Annual Awards last Friday, President of Cricket West Indies (CWI), Vincentian, Dr. Kishore Shallow announced that the regional Franchise System will be revamped to better serve its objectives.
Dr. Shalow said: “There is a delegation in Trinidad and Tobago as we speak assessing the franchise system, and the plan is for them to go across the entire region and review, advise, make recommendations to the board about how we can improve.”
The delegation is being led by CWI’s Director of Cricket, Vincentian, Miles Bascombe, and includes Enoch Lewis, Chairman of CWI’s Cricket Committee; Graeme West, CWI’s High Performance Manager, and Chris Brabazon, CWI’s Coaching Manager.
Noting that US$400,000.00 is being spent monthly on the system, Shallow said that CWI needs to get value for money.
The franchise system was implemented in 2014 under former CWI President, Dave Cameron and ex-Director of Cricket, Richard Pybus.
Under the system, each of the six retains 15 players who are paid monthly to work with the team’s respective head coach and staff.
There were hopes that this professionalising of regional cricket would help produce better cricketers, a better regional standard, and translate into results for the West Indies, but this has not materialised.
Shallow said changes are also being made at the CWI board level with the most important being the shift in culture.
He added, “It is a priority of mine that we establish an environment that encourages excellence and accountability. It is imperative that we hold each other accountable.”
He said mediocrity will not be accepted nor celebrated, and that under his leadership, Cricket West Indies will continue to be more transparent.
Shallow said that although the outlook may seem bleak, there is light at the end of the tunnel.
He said talks are also under way for the implementation of a domestic Twenty/20 League to unearth new talents in that format.
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