WI cricket looks for new sponsor

Cable and Wireless, the major sponsor of West Indies cricket in the Caribbean for over 20 years, yesterday announced a parting of ways with the regional game. According to a media release, the decision “allows Cable and Wireless to explore other opportunities outside of sports that will deliver tangible benefits to the communities we serve.” Vice-president of marketing at Cable and Wireless, Usman Saadat stated in a press release yesterday that C&W will remain as a regional telecoms sponsor of the upcoming World Cup 2007 to be staged in the Caribbean. “The company will be leveraging its leading global and caribbean services and technologies to ensure that the World Cup 2007 is a showpiece for the people of the Caribbean,” the release stated yesterday. C&W also reiterated their commitment to long-term sponsorship agreements with West Indies captain Brian lara and other top regional test players.

Cable and Wireless has been associated with sponsorship of West Indies cricket for over 20 years and this was the longest running sponsorship of any cricket team in the world. Over the years they have invested millions of dollars in promoting and developing the game at the highest levels. This shock decision is reported to have been triggered by the regional team’s poor showing in recent years and forced by the lastest poor performance against England in the Caribbean. Since 1997 West Indian cricket fortunes have been slipping but the team continued to perform creditably at home. However within recent years the performances of the team at home has been well below par. In 2001, South Africa defeated the West Indies at home 2-1. The following year West Indies defeated India 2-1 after going down 1-0 early in the series. Last year Australia won 3-1 but the West Indies atoned with a 1-0 victory over Sri Lanka.

And this year England defeated the West Indies 3-0 the first time they have won the series in the Caribbean since 1976. West Indies then struggled to defeat lowly Bangladesh 1-0. Saadat said: “Cable and Wireless is proud to have been associated with cricket in the Caribbean over the last 20 years. Cable and Wireless remains totally committed to the ongoing development of the sport across the Caribbean and we have already signalled our intentions in the cricket arena for the next three years. “We wish to thank cricket fans, our staff and the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) for the fun and exciting times that we have had for the sponsorship of the home series, which is the longest running cricket sponsorship in the world. Cable and Wireless is a leading company in many ways including its successful association with cricket — clearly the new sponsor will simply be following our lead and walking down a road which Cable and Wireless has paved with well executed plans that are world class.”