Don’t get involved, urges PM Arthur

Arthur’s comments come following intense discussions by Caricom leaders on the issue of West Indies cricket on Tuesday at their annual summit.

"I do not believe that the involvement of politicians in the nitty-gritty, day-to-day running of West Indies cricket is desirable," Arthur told reporters.

"There is already a climate and a rivalry that’s unhealthy, and to have politicians involved, even at the level of the selection of the team, would be a harmful, rather than helpful development that would retard West Indies cricket."

Caricom leaders have come under increasing pressure to intervene in the management of the game, in light of recent rancorous negotiations between the West Indies Cricket Board and the West Indies Players’ Association.

The leaders plan to formally acknowledge cricket’s place in West Indian life by giving it new status, but this could also see a new arbitration body coming to settle disputes between the WICB and WIPA.

Until now the game that West Indians call "the glue that keeps the region together" never had any formal status within the regional integration movement.

This is about to change however, with the Caribbean leaders going beyond the current boundary, but how much of a role they are going to play remains to be seen. St Lucia Prime Minister Dr Kenny Anthony, and Grenada Prime Minister Dr Keith Mitchell, chairman of Caricom’s sub-committee on cricket, on this new assignment.

Dr Anthony’s assignment is to find a way to give West Indies cricket similar status as the University of the West Indies, that of Associate Institution of Caricom.

The leaders have also agreed to put resources into a cricket development programme for the region.