Latest update April 18th, 2024 12:59 AM
Feb 23, 2009 Sports
GCA’s involvement of former players should be copied
Says Sean Devers
At a time when the West Indies Cricket Board seems incapable of not making blunders that further tarnish the image of the regional game, the new executive of the Guyana Cricket Board is not practicing what it preaches.
Journalists were recently told that the GCB wants to forge a stronger relationship with the local cricket media and wanted to work in a collaborated manner with the media to aid in the promotion and development of Guyana’s cricket.
Many in the cricket media are willing to assist the GCB in moving Guyana’s cricket forward but the continued practice of keeping basic information concerning the country’s cricket a secret is frustrating this process.
The new GCB executive has promised change and transparency yet the appointments of the heads to the various GCB Committees are being kept from the public while many times information regarding team selection is sent to the media long after it has been acquired by reporters.
Last Thursday the Guyana team to play Trinidad and Tobago was selected just after lunch, yet the GCB release on the tem was not sent until Thursday evening.
The recent insistence by the GCB that newly appointed National team Coach Rabindranauth Seeram was a Level 2 Coach when it was common knowledge that the former Guyana batsman only has a Level 1 accreditation, will only result in the credibility of the GCB members being viewed with suspicion.
The GCB has appointed Claude Raphael to head the Cricket Development Committee, Bissoon Singh as Chairman of the Cricket Committee and Faizul Bacchus to head the Reports Committee yet the GCB has remained silent on the appoints.
Anand Sanasie is also Guyana latest WICB Director along with Chetram Singh but this has also been not been officially told to the press.
Sensitive and confidential information should not be divulged to the media but in the best interest of transparency and accountably, it is imperative that basic information on decisions made concerning Guyana’s cricket be released.
The media is willing to work with the GCB but is the GCB really desirous about working with the media?
It is understood that Guyana Territorial Development Officer (TDO) Colin Stuart has resigned his position. Is this true and if so who has filled the position?
A GCB website is long overdue and it is hoped that while the GCB will formulate its own plans, it could use several of the ideas and implementation of systems used by the Georgetown Cricket Association (GCA) which is undoubtedly the best run cricket association in Guyana.
This association has the highest standard of competition and players in the country and it is time that the Carl Moore led GCB competitions committee seriously look at the concept of having Georgetown play as a team in a competition to replace the four-day Inter-County series.
The majority of the GCA members are former cricketers and people like Roger Harper (who says he was never approached by the GCB to consider taking over as National Coach) are members of the cricket development committee, which is headed by former First-Class cricketer and Malteenoes Sports Club Vice-President Neil Barry. Several other former senior national and Inter-County cricketers including former Test pacer Reon King, are on the GCA team and it is not surprising that GCA teams continue to dominate at all levels of Inter-Association competition even as Guyana continue to struggle at all levels of regional cricket.
It is vital to the survival of Guyana’s cricket that Moore and his Committee ignore partisan politics, sentiments and the urge to show gratitude to those who supported the present GCB executive and make decisions that are in the best interest of arresting the decline of Guyana’s national sport.
While the WICB seems to be trying its best to make us the laughing stock of the cricketing world, the West Indies players are showing refreshing fight on the field and lead England 1-nil after three Tests in the present Digicel home
series and it is time that incompetent or uninterested members of the WICB be fired if they consistently under-perform as administrators.
While the sidelining of former cricketers by the GCB for prominent cricket related positions (deliberate or not) is worrying, many are genuinely committed to working with the GCB and recognize that there are several competent and interested GCB executives.
But one wonders if the GCB is serious about utilizing the best personnel to take Guyana’s cricket forward and keeping the public updated on their decisions to improve the local game?
Our young generation of cricketers are not as passionate about cricket as in the past and while the Government and GCB have to spearhead the revival of a vibrant cricket culture in schools and the clubs have an important role to play in strengthening the mental aspects of their young cricketers, all must be involved for our cricket to rise again.
Generous corporate sponsorship and plenty of spectator support in addition to a well run and structured programme has made the Trinidad cricket system the envy of the rest of the region and the decisions by the GCB will be crucial to the future of Guyana’s cricket.
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