By Neto Baptiste
Despite the ongoing disquiet in Guyana involving the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) and that country’s government, President of Cricket West Indies (CWI) Ricky Skerritt said any candidate who qualifies to hold office within the organisation should and will be allowed to contest next month’s elections.
Skerritt, speaking on Observer Radio’s Good Morning Jojo Sports Show on Wednesday, was addressing the situation in Guyana which began when the government dissolved the GCB due to a dispute over its July 2011 elections.
GCB Secretary Anand Sanasie has said he would be challenging Skerritt for the CWI presidency.
“I am certainly not interested in manipulating any board policy or any board situation to prevent anybody from running for West Indies president. People should have the right, especially if they are nominated properly, to compete and I have no fear of anybody personally because Cricket West Indies will prevail long after I have gone or anybody else is gone. So what is important is that we have proper governance taking place at the local level and that cricket is not in disrepair and confusion and that the people in office are legitimately elected and can engage in bona fide good practices on behalf of cricket,” he said.
As for Cricket West Indies’ stance on the issue, Skerritt said they will not complicate an already tense situation by getting involved until a court ruling has been made.
“CWI’s stance is that we will follow any court-related ruling and that we would seek advice and set policies but we would not interfere with what might be a politically motivated situation in Guyana and we really are reluctant to participate in any interference at the local level,” he said.
CWI elections are slated for March 21 and will likely be held on a virtual platform given existing Covid-19 restrictions.
Sanasie was nominated by the Barbados Cricket Association (BCA) along with his running-mate and vice president hopeful, Calvin Hope.
It was recently revealed that Skerritt and his vice president Dr Kishore Shallow have been nominated by the Leeward Islands Cricket Board and seconded by the Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board (TTCB).