Today’s Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board (TTCB) election will see 19 people vying for 11 positions and at least two new faces will be elected to serve as executive officers of the board.
Incumbent Azim Bassarath will seek re-election for a fifth term at the helm of the board and is being challenged by outgoing general secretary Surujdath Mahabir.
With Mahabir vying for the presidency, a new secretary general will be elected. Henry Chase will compete for the post as part of Bassarath’s roster while Altaf Baksh, who is in Mahabir’s team, is the other contender for the position.
Outgoing treasurer Sukesh Maniam also chose to challenge for a senior leadership post and will challenge incumbent Parasram Singh for the third vice-presidential post. As a result, a new treasurer will be voted in, with Richard Ramkissoon and Kiswah Chaitoo both up for the post.
The second vice presidential position will go to incumbent Kerwin John (unopposed) while the biggest battle will be for the first vice president.
Incumbent first vice-president Arjoon Ramlal will seek to retain his post in the face of challenges from Shareda Mohammed, an independent candidate, former West Indies Players’ Association president Dinanath Ramnarine.
Mohammed is the first woman to run for a top management post at TTCB, but she thinks she has the experience to do the job well.
“I am very passionate about the social impact of sport and I feel that sport is an outlet for many young people,” she told Express.
Mohammed, who is part of Mahabir’s squad, broke boundaries by becoming the first female president of the male-dominated El Socorro Youth Movement Sports Club, but she said it was never about gender for her.
“I think I can contribute. I have always got the respect of the players at my club, and as I see it, I am a human being who tries to do what I can for the betterment of cricket,” she added.
In today’s elections, seven candidates will compete for the five executive positions. Among the candidates are Joseph Sam Phillip, Ann Browne John, Anderson Ramdath, Kelvin Mohammed, Stephen Ramkissoon, Winston Sobers and Sharaz Mohammed.
Meanwhile, Bassarath and his slate of candidates are “very confident” ahead of the vote. “We are all very excited to continue the good work that has been going on across the board over the year. We have to continue to do what we have done in the past because we have seen great rewards from the work we have done,” said Bassarath.
Additionally, Bassarath, in his team’s manifesto, also aims to meaningfully reconnect with the differently-abled to generate interest and participation.
The 49 voting members of the TTCB will cast their votes at the National Cricket Center from 9am to 1pm today, with an election committee overseeing the process. Ronald Simon is the chairman of the committee while Ammar Samaroo is the secretary. The other members are Justin Latapy George, Hayden Mitchell and Rosemarie Richardson-Mitchell.
Voting members of the TTCB include the six executive officers – president, first vice-president, second vice-president, third vice-president, general secretary and treasurer – six special general members, six Premier League representatives, 21 zonal representatives (three each from seven zones), ten affiliate representatives (two from Primary Schools Cricket League, Secondary Schools Cricket League, Tobago Cricket Association, T&T Cricket Umpires Council, T&T Women’s Cricket Association).
The result of the vote will be announced at the virtual meeting of the TTCB, which starts at 15.00.
