Cricket brains on local board

“When one is trying to have things done in an expeditious and effective manner, it may at times become necessary to ruffle feathers and step on toes or brush aside stumbling blocks. I may be guilty of some of these things, however it is for the betterment of Trinidad and Tobago’s cricket. I see performance as a concern not popularity.” The words of national coaching director Baldath Mahabir. Mahabir has been on the executive of the Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board (TTCB) since 1999 and is the only member to have won the “Administrator of the Year” award on two occasions. He is the trusted lieutenant of the “chief” Alloy Lequay who is the outgoing president of the Board. A lot of the development policies of the TTCB comes from the imaginative mind of Mahabir who is able to juggle his business and sports administration activities very well.

One of his main goals for the development of cricket in Trinidad and Tobago is the to take the game into the country areas and into the community which he believes is where the strength of local cricket resides. “There are a lot of talented cricketers living in the country areas and also there is a greater catchment area to find youngsters. The youths in the country tend to get involved in novel sport because the attraction of the big city is far away.” Mahabir speaks from experience as he has taken cricket to the remote areas of Penal, South Trinidad. He started off his cricket career in the Clarke Road, Penal area and was the one standout player to take the team forward and into the landscape of the “big times.” When visiting teams went out to play at Clarke Road they would be rewarded for their long journey with real “old talk” from the man behind the timbers — Mahabir.
He showed his residents what it is like to stand up and be counted and showed his players the way forward. “They were overawed by the big name clubs like Queen’s Park and Wanderers. When these guys came down there we were defeated before the game even got going because our players were just not mentally up to it.”

“I told them to believe in yourself and believe in what the country area can produce and everything will be fine. This they did and everything fell into place some seasons after.” Today he maintains the same attitude and this has really helped Trinidad and Tobago’s cricket. His forthright methods have been met with criticisms but the man can laugh at those who are just there for that, for the results he has produced speak for themselves. As national coaching director he has produced winners on the youth scene and when Trinidad and Tobago were on the verge of winning the Regional Under-19 title he flew across to Guyana to the see the fruits of his labour. Lequay, an administrator extraordinaire, has tremendous faith in Mahabir and the old wise fox has called this tune right.