THE Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board has joined the rest of the Caribbean community in congratulating Jamaican businessman Dave Cameron on his election as president of the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB).
President of the T&TCB Azim Bassarath said Cameron brings a wealth of experience to the job having served for ten years under outgoing president Dr Julian Hunte whom he beat 7-5 in last Wednesday’s election in Barbados.
"We are pleased to welcome Dave Cameron to the WICB presidency. He is well- positioned to bring about the changes we feel are necessary to continue the upward trend in regional cricket," said Bassarath.
The T&TCB chief said he is confident that Cameron will apply the qualities that has propelled him into the top cricket job in the region to restore credibility, transparency and accountability to the game’s administration.
Cameron narrowly defeated Hunte 7-5 while his running mate Emmanuel Nanthan , head of the Windward Islands Cricket Board beat ex-West Indies fast bowler Joel Garner 8-4 for the vice-presidency.
Bassarath expressed confidence that Cameron and Nanthan will make good on their pre-election promise to improve the board’s financial viability and increase the involvement of the region’s corporate sector in the regional game.
"We feel he is best prepared for this challenge as well as that of uniting West Indies cricket and charting a path for the success of the regional team," Bassarath said.
"We will also press to have the items on the manifesto realized including improving and building the region’s immense talent, increasing the revenues in the sport and uniting the region through cricket," he said.
Cameron, 42, and Nanthan, 45, are two of the youngest ever leaders elected to head West Indies cricket. Their election ended the 73-year-old Hunte’s bid for a fourth successive two-year term and marked the second major administrative change in the West Indies cricket within the last seven months.
Last September, Ernest Hilaire stepped down as chief executive officer to take up a diplomatic posting on behalf of the St Lucian government in London.
He was subsequently replaced by Jamaican Michael Muirhead.
Bassarath also praised Hunte’s contribution to the game saying the former diplomat had done an exceptional job in challenging circumstances to rebuild West Indies cricket.