T&T Cricket Board president Azim Bassarath says they will be hosting a public symposium to discuss the way forward for the West Indies game starting next month. He hopes that the TTCB will be able to provide a blueprint to assist Cricket West Indies on how to develop the regional game going forward following the talks.
The idea was first raised by Windies legend Sir Clive Lloyd after the regional team was booted out of the just-concluded ICC World Cup in England early after losing six of its nine games.
Speaking at the prize distribution function of Ramlagan's Balmain United Literary and Cricket Club at the Sir Frank Worrell Development Centre in Couva, over the weekend, Bassarath announced the plan and urged all cricket lovers to take part in the symposium. He said the TTCB had informed CWI president Ricky Skerritt of the plan and received their blessings and either Skerritt or CWI vice-president Dr Kishore Shallow will be here for the event.
In a release yesterday, Bassarath reconfirmed this position, saying the public must play a leading role in identifying what they believe is needed to improve the administration of the game, adding the great resource of knowledge, combined with the passion fans have, will be counted on to point to practical suggestions and solutions to the existing problems.
“We want everyone who has a genuine interest in local and regional cricket to let their voice be heard. So we expect them to show up at the symposium and do their part in helping us as administrators to get honest feedback from the public who are the major stakeholders in the regional game,” Bassarath said.
Bassarath, a CWI director himself, said details of the symposium will be finalised soon.
At Saturday's function, Bassarath also congratulated Balmain United for their uninterrupted participation in local cricket since 1943, which he said could be a record for a local village club. He also responded to a request made by the club's president Mishri Lutchmedial for financial help to alleviate some of the costs incurred to field a team in the National League and zonal competitions.
Bassarath said that since coming into office he has been making requests in the annual budget submitted to the Ministry of Sports and Youth Affairs for funds to help all clubs affiliated with the T&TCB. However, he said government cutbacks have had a very serious effect on the T&TCB's ability to complete all their programmes and the staging of competitions across the board.
He said that in anticipation of the national budget for 2019-2020, the T&TCB will submit proposals asking for close to one million dollars from which each zonal club will get $10,000, including Tobago and the Women's Federation affiliates.
In the proposal, the top tier Premier League I clubs will collect $100,000 per season while those in the second tier will get $30,000 to assist in their development and other expenses.
Bassarath said the club's sponsors Ramlagan's, whom he was told has been associated with Balmain United for the past 30 years, must be congratulated for their outstanding commitment to youth, sport and national development.