Shake up in WI cricket BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, CANA:
ALMOST a year into his second term in the post of West Indies Cricket Board president, Pat Rousseau and his deputy Clarvis Joseph have shockingly resigned effective tomorrow.
Rousseau, a Jamaican attorney-at-law, and Joseph, an Antiguan business executive, indicated their decision was based on the "unacceptable position" they found themselves on the issue of the termination of Ricky Skerritt as manager of the West Indies cricket team. "The WICB has taken a decision to reinstate Skerritt which brings into question our integrity and we are therefore unable to continue as president and vice-president and have indicated our resignations," Rousseau said yesterday. Skerritt was relieved of his post last Friday when he was informed by Gregory Shillingford, the WICB's chief executive, by way of an e-mail of the decision to terminate his three-year contract 21 months ahead of schedule. "Skerritt was evaluated by Clarvis and myself and during a debriefing session after each tour and specifically after the England, Australia and South Africa series," Rousseau said. "We came to the conclusion based on those evaluations and the performance of the teams that he is not in our opinion a suitable person to manage the West Indies team at this time." Rousseau outlined the WICB's directors challenged the process of the evaluation and was concerned whether it constituted a formal or proper assessment. "They also questioned our authority along with that of Shillingford to effect the termination without their approval and we disagreed with that view," Rousseau remarked. "In our opinion, the directors' position directly challenged our competence and our integrity in carrying out the process. Since we are not prepared to carry out the directive to reinstate Skerritt we feel obligated to resign." Rousseau urged the new leadership of the WICB, expected to be elected at an extraordinary meeting this week, to accelerate the process if it is to operate successfully in the new order of world cricket.
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