HOURS after posting photos of himself with golfing buddy, retired cricket legend Viv Richards, the Prime Minister took to social media on Sunday to call for visonaries and competent management for West Indies cricket following the regional side's embarrassing exit, at the preliminary qualifying stages, of the just concluded T20 World Cup.
Dr Rowley – cleared of covid19 on Friday after his third infection – said that now that the T20 World Cup is over and the embarrassingly underwhelming performance of West Indies cricket exposed in all its nakedness, there was urgent need for deep reflection.
"What is it about us that after demonstrating our superior playing skills in these colonial and post-colonial islands we cannot now find it within our populations, the business, coaching and management skills to halt the decline of an activity where we dominated the world for a record-breaking almost two decades," Rowley asked in a post on his Facebook page.
He called for an end to "franchising out our legacy and our future," adding, "We need visionary and competent management both on and off the field!"
The PM, who up to Friday was in covid19 isolation and answered Prime Minister's Q&A in the Parliament virtually that day, said there was a need to look for requirements within and embrace and allow WI world-beating ex-players to play a hugely meaningful role across all boundaries within the region.
Firstly, and once again, he said, we must settle and answer the question of “Who owns West Indies cricket?
"It cannot and must not be that this priceless legacy of an entire people is simply available to provide opportunity and a good salary to a few in management and some travelling six-hitters who might be doing well personally even as the game is withering and dying regionally."
The PM declared: "Enough is enough! If Namibia, Holland, Ireland, Zimbabwe, Namibia, and Afghanistan can get it done then Cricket West Indies has a lot to answer for."
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