SPORTS
Newsday reporter
A three-member panel of independent professionals has been appointed by Cricket West Indies (CWI) to conduct a comprehensive review of West Indies’ early exit from the recent ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in Australia.
The CWI announced on Wednesday that the three-member panel will undertake a holistic assessment of all aspects of the team’s preparation and performance in the global tournament.
The panel includes: West Indies batting legend and IPL head coach Brian Lara; international cricket coach and South African Mickey Arthur; and Justice Patrick Thompson Jr, a High Court judge in the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court; who will serve as the chairman of the panel who have already started their work.
The West Indies team failed to qualify for the main round of the tournament, losing to bottom-ranked Scotland and Ireland. The losses caused great disappointment and frustration among all West Indies cricket stakeholders.
The qualifying round of Group B was played at Bellerive Oval in Tasmania where the team achieved their only victory over Zimbabwe, a team that qualified ahead of the West Indies by beating Scotland and Ireland.
The panel will submit a report to the CWI board of directors, with relevant findings and clear recommendations. It is also intended that this review will establish a process and model for future performance reviews.
Commenting on the appointments, CWI President Ricky Skerritt said: “The CWI is fortunate to have such a knowledgeable and fully independent panel agreeing to serve West Indies cricket under challenging circumstances. I am particularly grateful for their commitment to give some of their valuable time to this important review project.
“It is vital that players, coaches, administrators and all of us who love West Indies cricket understand that creating a sustainable culture of learning, throughout the organisation, is a prerequisite for player growth and team improvement. .
Emotion-based and knee-jerk decisions have failed CWI repeatedly in the past. I am confident that this independent World Cup review process will produce findings and lessons that should be of great benefit to our cricket system going forward.”
