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Emergency Summit: Immediate Action for a Cricket Revival
Background & Gathering
- Cricket West Indies convened a two-day emergency summit on August 10–11, 2025 at the Hyatt Regency Trinidad, under the direction of CWI President Dr. Kishore Shallow, aiming to tackle deep and urgent performance issues. (Windies Cricket, News Room Guyana)
- Attendees included:
- Members of the Cricket Strategy & Officiating Committee (CSOC)
- Legends of West Indies cricket: Sir Clive Lloyd, Sir Vivian Richards, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Desmond Haynes (Windies Cricket, News Room Guyana)
- Current captains and senior players
- Head coach Daren Sammy and key CWI administrators (Windies Cricket)
Key Priorities Identified
CWI’s CEO Chris Dehring, speaking after the summit, highlighted several focal areas requiring urgent attention. These included:
- Player development pipelines: Assess and enhance effectiveness at all levels—from grassroots and age-group programmes to high-performance tracks (Windies Cricket, News Room Guyana)
- Domestic competition quality: Boost competitiveness and standards of regional tournaments to better prepare players for international demands (Windies Cricket, News Room Guyana)
- Preparation & support systems: Improve systems for physical, mental, and tactical readiness ahead of international duty (Windies Cricket, News Room Guyana)
- Alignment across stakeholders: Ensure cooperation and shared commitment among boards, coaches, players, and administrators (News Room Guyana, Windies Cricket)
- Financial & resource support: Address stark gaps in funding, facilities (like high-performance centres), and access to world-class infrastructure (Windies Cricket, News Room Guyana)
- Player motivation & retention: Foster loyalty, morale, and long-term commitment among players through proper incentives and environment (Windies Cricket, News Room Guyana)
Strategic Direction & Collective Effort
- Systemic challenges: CWI officials stressed that underlying structural issues must be addressed—piecemeal fixes won’t suffice. The solutions need to rebuild the entire cricket ecosystem. (Windies Cricket, News Room Guyana)
- Collaborative resolve: Legends like Lloyd and Lara praised the frank dialogue and signaled commitment to actionable outcomes. (Windies Cricket, News Room Guyana)
- Implementation roadmap: CSOC chair Enoch Lewis noted recommendations would go to the CWI Board; some will roll out in the short term, others will require long-term planning. (Windies Cricket, News Room Guyana)
Scale of Issues
- Participants reportedly “identified a list of about a hundred things” needing improvement to revitalize West Indies cricket. (The Times of India, Business Standard)
Summary Table
| Area | Key Focus |
|---|---|
| Player Development | Enhance pipelines from youth to elite levels |
| Domestic Competitions | Improve quality to match international standards |
| Preparation Systems | Better support (training, mental readiness) for international cricket |
| Stakeholder Alignment | Unified commitment across CWI governance and teams |
| Financial Resources | Invest in training centres, infrastructure, funding |
| Motivation & Retention | Nurture players’ motivation and loyalty |
What’s Next?
- Action items: CWI will prepare and share a comprehensive plan for implementation: immediate steps and longer-term reforms. (News Room Guyana, Windies Cricket)
- Public accountability: CWI has promised updates on pace and impact as reforms roll out.
Why It Matters
This summit represents a rare show of urgency and unity: cricketing legends, current leadership, and administrators pushing beyond talk and toward real systemic change. With candid diagnosis and collective will, West Indies cricket aims to reclaim its competitive edge.
