Former WICB president, Ken Gordon (left), commissioned former prime minister PJ Patterson to head a committee to review West Indies cricket. - adrian frater

kingston, jamaica (cmc)

One of the members on the Patterson Commission, set up to look at the governance of West Indies cricket, hopes the committee's final report will not catch dust like a number of other documents authored on the game in the region.

Noted historian Dr. Ian McDonald again noted that the Governance Review Committee, as it is formally known, discovered during its work a history of shelved reports on West Indies cricket.

"Now that the committee's work is over and its final report submitted, a great fear must be that what the report has concluded and what it recommends will be allowed to slip into oblivion," he said in a column in the Jamaica Gleaner newspaper. "This has been the fate of numerous studies and reports in the past.

"There is an astonishing documentary record of investigation into all aspects of West Indies cricket with detailed and sensible conclusions and recommendations, compiled and presented by a long line of expert and dedicated West Indians, but hardly acted on, victims of neglect, left to become mere archival material when they could have served to pinpoint and energise reform and renewal.

"Will the Patterson Report be left to join this dusty archive of unexamined good intentions?"

Commisioned by Gordon

The review of the governance of West Indies cricket was commissioned by Ken Gordon, the immediate past president of the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB). He appointed former Jamaican Prime Minister P.J. Patterson as chairman with Dr. McDonald and former University of the West Indies icon, Sir Alister McIntyre, the other committee members.

"It has been a lifetime highlight to serve, along with Sir Alister, on the governance committee on West Indies cricket chaired by former Prime Minister P.J. Patterson," he said.

"It was a privilege, a revelation, a shock, and a challenge. I have loved West Indies cricket since I was a small boy and to be near the centre of things for a while was an unforgettable experience.

"Very memorable was the eager and overwhelming desire expressed throughout the region to restore West Indian pride, superior performance and international impact in this greatest game of them all."

Dr. McDonald outlined that there were four important questions which it was clear had to be answered forthrightly.

"How might the governance of West Indies cricket be improved?" he asked.

He continued: "How might the current performance of our representative teams be taken to a higher level? How might the broad base of the game, and its immediate prospects and popularity in the region, be strengthened? How might the financial and commercial state of West Indies cricket be improved and secured on a lasting basis?"

Urgent action

Dr. McDonald disclosed that the committee came to conclusions on these vital matters and has made recommendations for urgent action.

"The expectations certainly are that what has been submitted for consideration by the WICB in the first place should not be viewed as an academic exercise, but should become the subject of vibrant debate leading to fresh approaches, structural change and new departures," he said.

"The precipitous decline of the performance of the West Indies team has been a particularly soul-searing experience which we found has depressed and angered West Indians everywhere."

Most pain

What appeared to cause Dr. McDonald most pain was not only that the West Indies have lost the art of winning on the field of play, but high standards of fitness, discipline, commitment, and behaviour associated with the team have not been maintained.

"Of course, there are exceptions and, of course, there is an element of idealising the overall performance of our past great sides," he said.

"But it will do no good to deny what is perceived and deeply felt throughout the region and embarrassingly commented on beyond our shores.

West Indies cricket has not only sunk low in results, but now sets no high example in fitness, discipline, team commitment or patriotic pride.

"Thus, a turnaround is needed at many levels and the committee proposes a range of measures required to effect a change in our fortunes. Of course, nobody should be under any illusion that rising to the top again will be easy or happen suddenly, but there are many ways to make a start now while longer-term institutional and administrative changes take effect."

Dr. McDonald identified 'the undeclared war between the WICB and WIPA' as a challenge that needs immediate resolution, and he feels the committee's recommendation for a radical change to the governance structure of West Indies cricket can help in this regard.

"The way our cricket is governed does not reflect the wide range of stakeholders' interests involved," he said.

"It fails to meet the requirements and obligations of what is, in effect, a modern corporation operating in the global arena.

"It has, for some time now, failed in its primary responsibility of keeping West Indies cricket at or near the pinnacle of world competition.

"It has not fully exploited the extremely valuable West Indies brand name in world cricket, and, in general, is not set up to cope with the rapidly developing challenges and opportunities of cricket on a globalised scale."

Dr. McDonald said recommendations for a new structure of governance, much more reflective of the interests of all stakeholders in the region, lie at the heart of the committee's report and deserve to be urgently considered.