Sometimes in sport, we tend to make decisions which are aimed at short term success, and history is always there to guide us as to what stability in administration of any sport can do for the future of that sporting discipline. Cricket may have reached that crossroads, where the recent decisions of the TTCB have brought to the table some changes which do not appear to be the choice of the majority of organisations. And even if they were, there are too many areas where the timing may be inappropriate for such vital changes in the numerical inclusions of teams. Firstly, the board must be congratulated for their recent dialogue with the Tobago Cricket Association after their serious confrontation last year. That is a step in the right direction and augurs well for the public relations process in sporting issues. The same process should be used for the current dilemma regarding the decisions to ignore the ruling of relegation of the last two clubs in the competition, plus the increase of clubs from ten to 12 for the championship division next year. If the TTCB will only go in search of similar policy decisions which are taken by reputable organisations across the sporting world, they will get a better picture as to the procedure which has been found to be satisfactory.
For instance, the English cricket board has been in operation for many years with minor changes, none of which were designed to change the structure of the game schedule, without giving all the affiliated clubs sufficient time to carefully study the pros and cons of a probable adjustment to the present structure. These decisions are usually based upon stringent dialogue among the stakeholders, in terms of financial factors, among other issues which may affect one or more of the clubs. And even when the final decision is made on any issue, the process is often one of a majority vote and invariably with a two thirds majority from the eligible voters. Following that decision, the organisation will allow a space of a few years for the clubs to make their adjustments before moving into the new plans. Maybe the clubs which have actually challenged the hurried change in structure should have been given more consideration, especially when each of those decisions were not based on adequate communication among all the clubs. Surely, the board can understand the difficulties which may have been incurred among the clubs who prepare their financial budgets based on what is in place and not cater for sudden changes which appear to be simple, but are now left to generate funds to conduct their affairs and also to cater for an extra amount of travelling when they have to play more matches.
Then there is the weather, which we all know will not be cricket friendly during the rainy season, a deterrent which is presently affecting even the national team's preparation leading up to their T-20 competition. The final part of this contribution must be addressed seriously and that is the quality of our Cricket in terms of numbers of players who have reached the standard which can be considered compatible with the game at the top level in T&T. It is my humble belief that there are not twelve clubs in this country which can produce the quality of cricketers which are needed to raise the standard of our play. Have we not viewed the individual performances of players during the course of the season sufficiently, to recognise that, except for a chosen few, the runs and wickets earned are way below the quality in which we can claim high performances? Recently, we have been travelling the Caribbean and further abroad for national players from other territories to bring some high level standard to our game. And while there is good reason for the opportunities given to the outsiders, we must be concerned over the fact that these places may be taken away from some of our youth players, whom we often claim as products of our development programs. Maybe we could recall when the English realised that the doors which they opened for our WI cricketers in the sixties to eighties, were slammed in their faces, with our players gaining great benefits and turning the results of test matches strongly in favour of the West Indies. So I humbly suggest to my friend Azim Bassarath to reconsider these hurried moves and reopen dialogue with the clubs in order to make these decisions better understood and accepted in the best interest of the sport.
