No names yet for WICB president

THE West Indies Cricket Board (WICB)  are yet to re-open nominations for the post of president.

This was revealed by board director and first vice-president of the Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board (TTCB) Ellis Lewis yesterday. In a telephone interview from the sister isle, Tobago, Lewis said the Secretariat of the WICB as well as the vice-president Val Banks, who is now acting as president, will meet soon to decide on a date when nominations will be re-opened. The WICB were forced to postpone the election of their top executive recently after Chetram Singh, the lone nominee for the post, pulled out after questions were raised about his eligibility to attend International Cricket Council meetings because of his ties to gambling. Singh is a Guyanese licenced betting shop owner. “At this time nominations are not being sought and only when the Secretariat decide then we will give out the forms that are to be returned by those nominated,” said Lewis yesterday. “The Board will then set a date to stop nominations and will meet to select a president,” he said. “At this moment the directors are awaiting word from the Board as to when nominations will open up and we will move from there. The capable Val Banks is at the helm at this time and he is quite equipped to deal with the day to day affairs of the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB),” Lewis said.

The Board were supposed to elect a president to replace Wes Hall two weeks ago at their annual general meeting in Roseau, Dominica. Two persons were in the race for the top job — Singh and Trinidadian Willie Rodriguez. Rodriguez, a former Test player was nominated by the Jamaican Cricket Association (JCA) but opted out of the race after the TTCB threw their support behind Singh, backing a decison of the executive of the WICB. The Guyanese official then emerged the automatic choice but a controversy concerning his ownership of a racing pool, forced the 53-year-old businessman to withdraw at the last moment. It was reported that Singh, as WICB president, would not be allowed to attend the International Cricket Council (ICC) meetings and could be banned from the dressing rooms or the players’ pavilion due to his links with betting.