Once?the structures are set up, the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) will forge stronger ties with its territorial boards to make them more accountable.
Newly appointed chief executive officer Michael Muirhead said the WICB?was developing a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for all of the regional boards that would redound to the benefit of West Indies cricket.
Speaking exclusively to the DAILY?NATION yesterday, shortly after being taken on a tour of the University of the West Indies (UWI) at Cave Hill by principal Sir Hilary Beckles, Muirhead said he would like to hold all boards accountable in relation to WICB funding.
“I would like to hold them to account,” he said. “In other words, for WICB funding, you need to do, A, B, C, D; make sure I know what the programme [is] that you are going to do [and] let me see the results of what has happened.
“That way, you will get a sort of formal structure and it will allow the territorial boards the latitude to implement their own programmes, but well knowing that they won’t get the funding unless they have a structure in place. If I have that streamlined, then I think it will be a natural progression for West Indies cricket to improve.”
Muirhead acknowledged that this liaison between the WICB?and the various boards might not bear fruit overnight.
“We have to agree to the structure. It may take a year to get all the boards agreeing to the conditions that the WICB,?together with them, lay down and implement. It is after we have that and they have agreed to this process, then the WICB?would put the conditions on funding going through.”
The 55-year-old Jamaican, a graduate of the Mona campus, said it would be high on his list of priorities to have such a partnership.
“I would feel quite accomplished in having that [partnership]. That has not been the situation that has existed for some time.”
In awe after a visit to Cricket Legends of Barbados facility at Fontabelle, Muirhead said he would like to see other cricket museums of that quality in the region.
“What I saw here was of museum quality. It really impressed me. It focused mainly on Barbadians, but it is something that I think can be replicated throughout the Caribbean. I would love to see the WICB getting to a point where it can also have something representing the entire West Indies similar to what Barbados has done,” he said.
Muirhead said he would like to utilize legends such as National?Hero Sir Garfield Sobers, Sir Viv Richards and Sir Wes Hall, to promote the game across the Caribbean.
“I think there is a place for them. I think they have a lot to contribute. Can you imagine the impact on young minds when they can hear someone (Sir Garfield) who has scored 365 not out, a [Test] record at that time, telling them what they went through and the struggles they endured? It must be inspiring.
“That’s how I would like to see us our challenges, and the WICB is prepared to go and speak with the legends and develop a programme where we can achieve just that,” Muirhead said.
