KINGSTOWN, St Vincent, CMC – Cricket West Indies president designate, Dr Kishore Shallow said long-lasting success on the field in the sport in the Caribbean is strongly linked to finding financial resources to fund development programmes.
Shallow, a former president of the St Vincent & the Grenadines Cricket Board and the current president Windward Islands Cricket Board of Control, will be confirmed in the post of CWI president at the 24th annual general meeting on Saturday in Antigua.
He is unchallenged for the position after Jamaica Cricket Association president and fellow CWI director, Wilford “Billy” Heaven withdrew from the contest last Friday, clearing the way for Shallow to replace incumbent Ricky Skerritt, who did not seek a third term.
Shallow said all the presidents of CWI of the recent past tried to invest in the grassroots of the sport in the Caribbean, but they have had limited success because financing development was costly.
“The challenge is always the finance,” he said during a TV interview with the hosts of the SportsMax Zone on the Caribbean cable TV channel, SportsMax.
“In my manifesto where you see commercial and marketing, I really believe that greater emphasis must be placed on that. Once we can generate more revenue, it can be injected almost directly into our cricket development programmes.”
Shallow gave the example of funding that has come into the territories of the Windwards through a series of internationally-sponsored Ten10 tournaments.
“The revenues we have generated from that, all of the countries that have had a T10 tournament that has all been a part of the process of improving the territorial boards, and you would have seen our Under-17 team win,” he said.
“You have seen improvement in our senior team this year, that is because the national boards have found some money to invest in their development programmes, so when I say structure, I mean finding the funds, ensuring there is a framework that the countries understand, and they implement it simultaneously.”
Shallow, who has been on the CWI board for the past five years and was elected to the post of vice president three years ago, said he has had the opportunity to observe West Indies cricket very close up and it has prepared him to ascend to the post of president.
“I am quite confident after the discussions I have had over the last few months especially with my colleagues on the board and other key stakeholders across the region, I think people, by and large, are ready to pool their resources together and get everyone on that same wavelength,” he said.
“We all have the common interest of wanting to see West Indies cricket improve, and I think that once we can approach the whole leadership and advancement in that way, whether it is ideas, finance, and other key components, and having that inclusive environment I think we will be well on the path of an improved West Indies team.”
Shallow said West Indies were about 10 to 20 years behind other teams in the world, and it was important for CWI to find modern, best practice methods to advance the sport in the Caribbean.