Lequay support for best man

THE Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board will support “the best person available” to be president of the West Indies Cricket Board.

This statement was made by president and CEO of the TTCB Alloy Lequay who said he is firmly convinced that “we cannot support insularity at our convenience.” Commenting on the situation with respect to the selection of the next WICB president he said categorically:  “I cannot and will not accept that Mr Willie Rodriguez should be supported because he is a Trinidadian and our commitment, not to Mr (Chetram) Singh, but to the WICB executive caucus, should have been avoided.”

At this moment, “we will support the best person available in the West Indies to lead West Indies cricket, and not support someone because he is a Trinidadian,” Lequay stressed. Sections of the media have criticised Lequay for not supporting  Rodriguez’s nomination against Singh at the WICB meeting recently. Lequay said what they had taken “was a principled position that we considered morally right. ‘I do not know why they are blaming  me for the stand that we have taken when it was strictly done on moral grounds,” Lequay said. “I have been ridiculed for my moral values and principles but I make no apologies, for integrity in public life is my cherished possession,” he added.  He added, “ Immorality and corruption by some in public life have become acceptable vices if not to practice but to defend.”

Asked whether he would accept the position to head the WICB, Lequay said, “ I do not know. I will have to talk with members of the TTCB first. “Bear in mind  that I have been charged with the responsibility of developing the National Cricket Centre, particularly in time for the World Cup in 2007.” He also pointed out that he had recently been appointed as the chief executive of the Local Organising Committee for the World Cup and asked, “with all those responsibilities how do I back away from that to serve West Indies Cricket?” He added, “ I do not know. I have to weigh the possibilities and more than that I have to be satisfied that I am going to have the unanimous support of the territorial boards, because  I am not going into a situation to divide West Indies Cricket into a Lequay faction and somebody else’s faction.” Only yesterday national cricket team manager Omar Khan said Lequay was the best man for the WICB presidency.