roseau dominica (cmc)
CRICKET COMMENTATOR AND magistrate, Ossie Lewis, believes the proposed Twenty20 tournament being organized by Texan billionaire Allen Stanford is not in the best interest of West Indies cricket.
Lewis, a cricket enthusiast and a former national cricketer, says the 20 overs per side competition is nothing more than something temporary which would create only a bit of interest.
"I think the whole idea, although on the surface it sounds and looks like a good one, I don't see any benefits, any long-lasting sustained benefits for West Indies cricket," Lewis said.
"If Mr. Stanford really wanted to develop West Indies cricket, he should put his money into sustainable programmes, which will help in the development of young players and coaches and some money should go towards helping to revive the ailing Shell Cricket Academy in Grenada."
Lewis said the involvement of the West Indies cricket legends was a way of showing the West Indies Cricket Board the Twenty20 tournament could be run without their help.
"To me it is an oblique way of getting back at the board, to show well 'We can do something without your involvement,'" Lewis said. "I will underscore the point that this tournament has no sustained developmental benefits for West Indies cricket and it smacks some of the Packerism that we had some 25-30 years ago."
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