'Windies cricket problems mirror crisis in Caribbean'

The problems hampering West Indies cricket mirror a crisis plaguing the Caribbean community, St. Lucia Prime Minister Kenny Anthony said.

Anthony is calling for an overhaul of the structure of the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB). However, while insisting that change is needed, the St. Lucian does not believe politicians should interfere with the administration of the sport, reports CMC.

"The WICB are not answerable to the people of the region," Anthony said, adding that once the board's structure was changed the politicians should leave it alone.

The WICB has come under intense public scrutiny after the controversy surrounding the West Indies' aborted tour of India late last year.

"For my part, I would have started with a new fresh team," the prime minister said in reference to the players.

The pull out, as a result of a pay dispute between the players and the West Indies Players Association (WIPA), left the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) with a $41 million claim against WICB.

The conduct of incumbent WICB president Dave Cameron has also been the subject of a raging debate, particularly after he retweeted a fan criticising West Indies opener Chris Gayle recently.

"It is important that we remember that the crisis of Caribbean community and of integration, even in cricket, is not isolated. It is a crisis of our institutions, societies, economic models and system of governance. If truth be told, we have a huge task to restore hope and confidence in our people," Anthony said.