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Cricket West Indies’ (CWI) decision to suspend the Regional Super50 tournament has raised fresh concerns about the state of West Indies cricket, with cricket commentator Colin Murray describing the move as a “sad situation” and questioning the organisation’s approach to developing the game.
CWI chief executive officer (CEO) Chris Dehring announced the suspension of the regional 50-Over competition on Wednesday, while also revealing plans to invite an international firm to conduct a review of the governance of West Indies cricket.
Murray believes reducing the amount of regional cricket being played will make it increasingly difficult for players to develop.
“I think it’s a sad situation,” Murray said. “It reminds me very much of the four-day tournament where they decided to only play three matches and then a semi-final or a final if you won all the three games. So we keep decreasing the amount of cricket these guys play.”
He questioned whether more could have been done to attract sponsorship for the Super50, pointing to the success of the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) as an example of the commercial potential surrounding West Indies cricket.
“Is it so bad that nobody wants to sponsor West Indies cricket?” Murray asked. “I look at CPL. CPL have a lot of sponsors.”
Murray argued that the Super50 should be viewed as part of the development pathway rather than simply another competition that could be cut when finances become difficult.
“The only way all cricket can improve is by these guys playing more and more cricket,” he said. “But you’re decreasing the number of games.”
He suggested that CWI should explore a partnership with the CPL to help finance the competition.
“If they have to approach CPL and say, look, here’s what’s happening. We need five million US dollars. Why not sit down with CPL? Let CPL be the CPL Super 50,” Murray said.
For Murray, the reduction in regional cricket is particularly troubling given the West Indies’ struggles in international cricket. He believes players need more opportunities in both red-ball and white-ball cricket to develop the skills required at the highest level.
“The whole situation is, to me, diabolical,” he said. “They need to do something and they need to do something quickly.”
Murray also expressed concern about the impact of the suspension on younger players, who he believes stand to lose valuable competitive experience.
“The young fellas… are the ones I feel for more than anybody else,” he said. “They need the experience, they need to play cricket at that level against the best we could offer, and improve.”
Former CWI director Baldath Mahabir also questioned the decision to suspend the Super50, arguing that cricket must remain the organisation’s core product.
“I haven’t heard of any suspensions of any other kind, any other programmes, any other cutback in staff or anything like that that will add to the available resources to run the cricket,” Mahabir said. “If you are a cricket organisation and you stop playing cricket, well, I think you have a real issue to be dealt with.”
Mahabir also called for greater transparency over CWI’s finances, particularly regarding revenue generated from major international events and sponsorship arrangements.
“How is the money that West Indies cricket is bringing in being spent?” he asked. “Should we not give them a little more information on the income and expenditure?”
He suggested that CWI could provide supporters with a simple breakdown of its finances rather than a lengthy accounting document.
The two men were also sceptical about CWI’s plan to bring in an international firm to review its governance.
Murray questioned why previous reports and recommendations had not resulted in significant changes, while Mahabir pointed to a long history of reviews of West Indies cricket.
Mahabir said reports dating back to the “Patterson” and “Wehby” reports had already examined aspects of the game’s administration.
“I wouldn’t put any stock by a report anymore,” Mahabir said. “It makes no sense. Nothing, hardly anything is done for all these things.”
Instead, he wants CWI to produce a concrete plan, particularly one that clearly explains how the organisation intends to use its financial resources.
Murray similarly called for greater involvement from some of the region’s former great cricketers and questioned whether enough passion and urgency exist within the administration of West Indies cricket.
He believes the current situation requires action rather than another cycle of reports and recommendations.
For both Murray and Mahabir, the Super50 suspension has therefore become part of a much wider discussion about the direction, finances, development structure and governance of West Indies cricket.
English (US) ·