WALK AWAY!

FORMER Cricket West Indies (CWI) president, Jamaica’s Dave Cameron believes CWI should consider pulling out from international cricket if its financial struggle continues, in a bid to force the International Cricket Council (ICC) to take notice. The region’s governing body is undergoing major changes to its structures and competitions as it battles significant financial challenges, with chief executive officer (CEO), Jamaica’s Chris Dehring saying, “West Indies cricket is at an important crossroads.” Among the changes is a 25 per cent cut in retainer fees for international players’ contracts, which the players are expected to accept or decline this week following the conclusion of the tour of India. Cameron, who served as CWI president from 2013 to 2019, says he anticipated the current situation, in part because of what he considers an unfair ICC revenue-sharing model that favours cricket’s biggest nations, led by India. “[This is] something I wrote about 10 years ago, and was championing in the ICC, and got them to create committees. I got so upset in meetings [to the point] where I challenged people that we would stop playing with them because it was just unfair that you would get all the resources,” he said on The Mason and Guests talk show in Barbados. “This series we’re [playing] in India, [India] are probably making north of about $100- $200 million dollars in the series, and it’s costing West Indies Cricket to go and play in India. It just doesn’t make sense. “No matter if you are the best team in the world, you can’t improve your revenues. The model has to change. In 2016, we proved that. [Some] 10 years ago we were the best team in every format of the game, and we weren’t able to move our revenue needle. Those were the concerns that we had and, unfortunately, my successors didn’t think it was important.” He added, “There are two issues with West Indies cricket. One, and Chris Dehring outlined it, is that the West Indies Cricket Board funds the entire development of West Indies cricket. That needs to change, [but] I’m not going to offer any model here. And secondly, how the revenues in international cricket is shared ... needs to change for us to be relevant going forward.” Dehring believes the changes will help to stabilise West Indies cricket for the future but Cameron is far less optimistic about the prospect. “I’m not sure how you get out of this,” said Cameron. “If you’re not in any of the World Cups [or] if you’re not hosting any of the World Cups, I’m not sure if there is a path to get out of this situation. With revenues from broadcasts going down — and that’s a huge item that is now affecting us and so sponsorship revenues are increasing, revenues from broadcasts is going down — so if you don’t have a big market for sponsorships, then you’re in trouble.” Several stakeholders have raised concerns about the current state of West Indies cricket. Earlier this month, former Australia Captain Michael Clarke, who won the 2007 and 2015 World Cup, said the ICC, along with India, Australia and England, “need to come together to save West Indies cricket”. Cameron, however, believes CWI should consider the more drastic step of stepping away from international cricket to force the ICC’s hand. “Nobody has ever given us anything without a fight,” he said. “[That’s how] we got independence, how we got emancipation. Nobody gets anything by just asking and sitting down and hoping that it happens. What I’m hearing now is, ‘ICC should look at us because we’re important.’ No, no, no, that will never work. “We need to be more forceful about it, and if it means withdrawing from the cricket, I would be as dramatic as that to say, ‘India, play yourself if you’re not willing to share the resources with us.’ Maybe that would be a little bit dramatic but I think that would get everybody understanding how serious the situation is.” Cameron told the Jamaica Observer in May that he wouldn’t be interested in returning as president, despite Dr Kishore Shallow’s tenure coming to end in 2028. Cameron is currently president of the Jamaica Obstacle Sport Federation and chairman of the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica’s Sports and Entertainment Development Committee.