CWC 2007 and Caribbean leadership
Perhaps we may do well to remember that even the road to hell is paved with good intentions.
Good intentions are just that good intentions, and nothing more.
The Caricom orchestrated Regional Consultation once suggested promise and hope. In the end the big conclusion meeting held in Barbados proved to be the anticlimax equalled only by the Caricom debunking of the Time For Action Report of the Shridath Ramphal grouping some years ago.
The WICB cribbed about the Consultation not being theirs and that while they were present at the final meeting they were under no real obligation to adhere to any of the findings since it was a government thing and had nothing really to do with their own mandate.
In a sense therefore it appeared that the WICB was prepared to tell the governments of Caricom that the business of managing the cricket is their own portfolio and that would not change in any way.
CWC 07 the Bid
The WICBs hosting of the Cricket World Cup created a rather interesting situation.
In the case of an individual Caribbean country the national cricket association would have had to secure the permission of the government before agreeing to submit a bid to host a regional or international event.
In the case of the regional game, the WICB apparently did not have to secure anyones permission before agreeing to accept the responsibility to host the 2007 edition of the Cricket World Cup.
Suddenly the WICB was flying high. The creation of all sorts of Committees for preparing to host the Cup saw the establishment of some high paying posts in almost every one of the countries involved.
Just as suddenly however the Organising Committee at the regional level began boasting of the benefits to be derived at the regional and international level for the Caribbean once the Cup is hosted.
In the euphoria of it all the governments were apparently drawn into the exercise without knowing or apparently being fully conversant with all aspects of the CWC 2007 and its requirements.
In one sense the CWC realities are emerging as slowly and as impacting as the details of the Petro Caribe Agreement.