‘Friends’ swimming against the tide

IT’S that time of the year again when positions on the executive of the cricket organisations throughout Trinidad and Tobago are up for grabs. And not to different from politics, the campaign for the hearts and minds of  those being wooed to take a particular side more often than not brings out the worse in the majority of us and the best in some. So it is not surprising that the daggers are slowly coming out, which before now were carefully hidden  in the robes of those who were considered friends of cricket but are now proving to be otherwise. Not unlike the Biblical account of the Last Supper, those with the sharpest knives are in the hands of  people who once sup and drank with the present administrators they now plot to overthrow.

And quite apart from questioning the motives of  the pretenders to the throne, we have not been given any cogent or credible reasons for shifting the balance of power when we are firmly entrenched at the top. However any student of politics would  know that in times of prosperity and success, it is extremely difficult to remove the officials who hold the reins of power and control of any organisation. In my view it is downright dishonest at worst  or naive of  anyone to remotely suggest that the cricket sky is falling and we should all seek shelter or relief. In fact Trinidad and Tobago within the last year have accomplished in regional cricket what no other territory has done, an unprecedented sweep of all but one of the regional championships.

It was done under the present administration who have been maligned in the past but has now been vindicated by the overwhelming results giving new meaning to the slogan  performance beats old talk anytime. But that success as any honest cricket observer will know did not happen overnight. It took years of planning and persevering under severe criticism and against all the odds to realise the vision that has now made Trinidad and Tobago the undoubted  powerhouse in the regional game. Much of the credit must go to the foot soldiers in the Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board who have over the years worked diligently and without reward to ensure that the plans of the executive committees are strictly enforced. That commitment has paid rich dividends and it will be the same club representatives and zonal officers who having worked in the trenches would be well acquainted with what it takes to achieve success and will not be blown away by an ill wind.

They would have surely made up their minds about who they will continue to entrust with the future of Trinidad and Tobago cricket and having seen the promised land know fully well that the path they have chosen will not lead them into the thicket. There can be no doubt that the Cricket Board’s nominee Dudnath Ramkessoon for the presidency is an excellent choice as he has been intimately involved in  all the plans which have achieved their objectives in recent years. Though not possessing an illustrious record as his main challenger former West Indies wicketkeeper Deryck Murray, Ramkessoon has an admirable combination of cricket skills and administrative experience in the Cricket Board to help Trinidad and Tobago maintain their supremacy in the sport. More importantly he has shown a dogged commitment to serve the game in any capacity with tenacious resolve and a firm hand which he has demonstrated as chairman of the national selectors.

He has not been known to start something and leave it undone, flitting here and there seeking a place in the sun regardless of the disruption it may cause. For him the greater cause has always been country before self. Everyone will remember last year when all was lost before the first ball was bowled in the President’s Cup campaign. Trinidad and Tobago were not given a sno-cone’s chance in hell when several key players were unavailable for the regional tournament. Ramkessoon and his committee had the unenviable task of selecting a team, said to be second-string at the time but they proved to be quite the opposite, a bunch of talented players who given the opportunity would emerge the best in the Caribbean.

All through the campaign Ramkeesoon never wavered in his confidence in the players led by Daren Ganga, suggesting that they possessed the qualities that many did not see and just needed to harness their untapped resources to prove their worth. It is this kind of unfashionable and stoic faith in people that has endeared all those who come into contact with him over the years and who for some time has been seen as a worthy successor to Alloy Lequay , the venerable architect of Trinidad and Tobago’s cricket empire. Though quite different in style and  execution from the “Chief” he has learned well and will be counted on to continue elevating and reinforcing the structures that have made this country the envy of the rest of the Caribbean. After all if it’s not broken, don’t fix it.