FORMER MINISTER OF SPORTS REGINALD FARLEY says there must be "comprehensive change" in West Indies cricket.

Noting that he was not Government's spokesperson on the sport and the views were his own, he said there was a need for professional contracts for the players, a professional league as well as night cricket games.

"West Indies cricket needs to have a number of elements. We need to have a professional league of some sort, because we can't depend on our professional players getting access to other leagues to play cricket on a consistent basis.

"We're a part-time team playing against full-time players . . . . we can't be evenly yoked," said the Christ Church East MP at his branch meeting on Sunday at St Christopher Primary School, Christ Church.

He continued: "We need to have a situation in which players are contracted on an annual basis. This business of players only having a job when they're picked for a tour is a joke, because when the board is in no position to enforce a training regimen or any other type of activity it wants to impose on the player, then the player is not in their employ."

Farley, also Minister of Housing and Lands, said there was a "vast opportunity" with the investment in new facilities that were not only at cricket grounds.

"In Barbados we have the 3Ws Oval with its indoor and outdoor training facilities.

"It has its cricket academy. You have the opportunity to provide significant training and development which has not been a part and a feature of the whole setup.

"You have, as well, the opportunity both with lights at 3Ws, and with lights coming to Kensington Oval, for us to go into the market. The opportunity presents itself for the West Indies Cricket Board for the first time to respond to what the market is saying.

"The Stanford 20/20 was [not] popular because it was 20/20 but, in my judgement, because it was played at night and people have time at night.

"People can't take time off from work to go play cricket in the day, and in terms of gaining revenue at the gates, and in terms of any television receipts, any future arrangements for West Indies cricket have to contemplate night games . . . . to tap into the market potential of the Caribbean," Farley said. (DS)