Lewis: Executive committee can’t be disbanded

A TOP Trinidad and Tobago cricket official has come to the defence of the role of the Executive Committee of the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB).

Ellis Lewis, first vice-president of the TT Cricket Board (TTCB) and a director of the WICB, said yesterday that the Executive Committee is essential to the efficient running of West Indies cricket. The committee has come under fire after their decision to support Chetram Singh of Guyana for the presidency of the WICB. The TT representative on the committee is Richard de Souza. Recently a newspaper editorial questioned its validity especially with an executive already in place. “The West Indies Cricket Board Inc is registered as a business and its constitution has Articles of Association. The Executive Committee exists under these Articles of Association and runs the affairs of the West Indies Cricket Board in between their meetings,” said Lewis.

The WICB executive which comprise 14 members, are the managers of the Board he said. The president, vice-president and 12 directors come from the six cricket playing territories around the Caribbean. “The 14 members are really the managers of the Board and they meet twice a year. Due to financial constraints it is difficult to assemble these 14 men in one place every month, so an Executive Committee has been formed with less officials to run the day to day affairs of the Board,” Lewis said. “The Executive Committee comprises the president of the WICB, his deputy and three other members. These guys meet regularly and attend to the needs of West Indies cricket,” he said. Lewis added that Wes Hall, who served as president for the past two years, was the chairman of the Executive Committee that took the decision to support Singh for the presidency. At the moment no president has been installed and vice-president Val Banks is acting in the post. “This committee is essential in the running of the Board and cannot be disbanded just so.  It is very difficult to have all the directors together regularly and hence this committee performs that vital role,” Lewis said. “I want to make it clear that there is just one executive not two and this distinction has to be understood,” said Lewis.