PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, CMC – West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) president Julian Hunte has said his board has embraced the majority of recommendations in the PJ Patterson Report but those pronouncements have left former WICB president Ken Gordon puzzled.
Gordon suggested in an interview yesterday that Hunte’s view does not match the reality of the situation.
“I am a bit puzzled by this because recently I was on a radio programme with PJ Patterson and he described the way that the report was treated as ‘disgraceful’.
“Also, the president of the Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board (TTCB), Deryck Murray said that his board was not being a part of the WICB’s AGM and one of the reasons he outlined was the way they were treating with the Patterson report.”
Hunte announced this week that the majority of recommendations – from the PJ Patterson report — have either been or are being implemented.
He pointed out that action had been or was being taken on approximately 47 of the 65 recommendations.
The Patterson Report, also called the Governance Report, was commissioned by the WICB under the then leadership of Gordon and prepared by former Jamaica Prime Minister PJ Patterson, along with Sir Alister McIntyre and Dr. Ian McDonald.
In its 138 pages, the report examined all the major facets of West Indies cricket and advanced solutions to issues of leadership, marketing, board structure and the relationship between the board and players.
Gordon said: “The lack of treatment with the Patterson report is a major flaw in West Indies cricket. Everyone knows that the structure of the West Indies Cricket Board is a major problem and they are not dealing with this”.
The retired media magnate believes restructuring the WICB must be tackled as a priority.
“The current crisis in West Indies cricket should be used in a positive way. Instead of looking to solve the problems with plasters, the board should look at identifying the problems and get the solutions.”
“At this time, they should look to restructure the board and then attack the problems,” Gordon said.
