BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – THE team led by Ricky Skerritt and Dr. Kishore Shallow vying for the leadership of Cricket West Indies (CWI) has received the support of Sir Vivian Richards.
Richards, an outspoken critic of the state of the West Indies Cricket, described the partnership between the duo as an excellent opportunity for him to have an input as a past West Indies captain, and also from the representation that Leewards would have given to West Indies cricket.
Skerritt and Shallow have both been receiving heavy criticism from several boards and Dave Cameron, the incumbent President of CWI.
The two and team have however been pushing to unseat the incumbent leadership with a 10-point plan of action.
According to Sir Viv, under the leadership of Skerritt, players from the Leewards would have made a healthy contribution to the development of West Indies cricket.
“If we are now looking to make a choice for a new president, I also believe we have people in that particular department in Mr. Ricky Skerritt who could bring some respectability back to the particular position.
“Why I am saying this is because we as past players who would have put our bodies on the line, we would have certainly represented West Indies 100 percent even more (and) it’s a great opportunity for us to show that we are not insular.
“I hear people speaking about us being insular at times. This is a great opportunity to show that we are not in terms of the transparency with regards to West Indies cricket and its leadership,” he added.
Richards believes that the time is right for someone like Skerritt to assist in helping to make a difference in the future of West Indies cricket.
“As past players, who would have put our bodies and souls (on the line) and represented West Indies with so much passion, if we speak to the legends who would have had a huge impact in making West Indies cricket become such a huge brand, we did not do this to make West Indies cricket at present an ATM machine. I don’t think so!”
He called for all to show some clarity on where they believe West Indies cricket could go.
“We should not lose this opportunity in trying to get Mr. Skerritt (elected) or giving him the opportunity to lead. I believe he will do a magnificent job,” Richards emphasised.
Skerritt accepted the support, pointing out that “I’m humbled by Sir Viv’s endorsement and it has inspired me even more to give my all for West Indies cricket”.
Dr Shallow said: “Sir Viv is a phenomenal Caribbean personality with tremendous love and passion for West Indies cricket. His contribution to our cricket history is incalculable, and so he is qualified than most to lend his views on the direction of our cricket.”
