FORMER Cricket World Cup Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Chris Dehring says Jamaica is “missing a trick”, citing recent investment downturn in the sport locally which is in stark contrast to the booming effect of cash-rich leagues globally.

Dehring, who was chief executive officer of the 2007 50-over World Cup staged in the Caribbean, made his comments against the backdrop of news last week that three-time former winners Jamaica Tallawahs will not feature in the 2024 Caribbean Premier League (CPL).

The former owner, Kris Persaud, has given up the Tallawahs and will instead take charge of a franchise based in Antigua and Barbuda for the next CPL campaign.

The revelation comes on the heels of heavy criticism the Jamaican Government faced for not bidding to stage matches at next summer’s Twenty20 (T20) World Cup set to be co-hosted by Cricket West Indies (CWI) and United States Cricket.

Additionally, Jamaica has not hosted an international cricket match since 2022.

Jefferson Miller, former CEO of the Tallawahs, said the franchise, which most recently lifted the CPL T20 crown in 2022, had been bleeding financially due to lack of Government and corporate support.

The lack of support has also been identified as the main reason the Tallawahs have not hosted a match at their Sabina Park base in Jamaica since 2019, despite the generally large crowds in attendance and party-like atmosphere.

“I think collectively, we as a nation are missing a trick,” Dehring told the Jamaica Observer on Wednesday.

“Globally, cricket as a sport is in massive growth mode. Just look at the astounding viewership numbers for the last [2023 50-over] Cricket World Cup and all the new leagues popping up all over, including in the United States. Meanwhile, it feels like the sport in Jamaica is on life support and the plug is about to be pulled at the wrong time,” he said.

“Jamaica continues to produce excellent cricketers like Rovman Powell, Fabian Allen, etc, who are plying their professional trade on teams around the world. I estimate that probably four of the top five-earning active sportspeople in Jamaica are cricketers. We can produce many more to fill the needs of pro leagues around the world but that pipeline will suffer if the sport isn’t maintained here to continue feeding it.

“And, of course, we are a significant part of West Indies cricket… so everyone, including CWI, should be very concerned about the state of cricket affairs in Jamaica. The Tallawahs leaving so soon after Jamaica deciding not to host T20 World Cup matches in 2024 are Mayday signals that shouldn’t be ignored,” he cautioned.

Dehring, a highly respected corporate executive and entrepreneur, noted the dilemma encountered by prospective investors.

“It’s a chicken and egg [situation]. They have to play here to generate corporate interest as well but the main challenge is always going to be competition for sponsors’ dollar and the alternatives, and cost for their brand and product exposure.

“Those alternatives include social media, which has really impacted traditional forms of sponsorship and advertising, so that is what the Tallawahs would be competing against.

“Of course the perception of a general decline of interest in cricket in Jamaica will also be an influence,” he explained.

He noted, additionally, that there are holes in any franchise’s plan which is too heavily reliant on government backing.

“I don’t think the business model of any league or franchise should wholly depend on a government’s financial support for its viability. That model doesn’t sound sustainable and we need to understand the extent of the role Government was expected to play in success of the CPL and the Tallawahs franchise. To place the blame on lack of Government’s support for a private league’s success seems misplaced,” he reasoned.

On Saturday, Jamaica’s Sports Minister Olivia Grange told the Observer that the Government’s efforts to support the Tallawahs might have fallen short of the mark.

“We have given support, [though] they may not have considered it sufficient — but we have given support,” she said.

With Persaud and Miller taking their business to Antigua and Barbuda, there is already talk of greater Government support from that twin-island nation.

Antigua and Barbuda Sport Minister Daryll Matthew said the new franchise could generate in excess of US$5.5 million in annual revenue.

Dehring said that a comparison between Jamaica’s economy and that of Antigua and Barbuda would not be fair.

“The impact of hosting these types of events on smaller economies is definitely easier to identify and probably more significant. Jamaica already has a significant global brand helped by its tourism product, music and sports.

“When Antigua hosts a cricket match, the geographic size of the island allows it to feel and experience the benefits all around [the capital] St Johns, and it becomes a much easier sell to the public for government investment.

“A cricket match in Kingston has a more limited geographic feel and experience, and our tourism product is already so strong [that] there is less need for the country’s exposure and less incremental benefit,” the former Cricket World Cup chief executive argued.

He said, however, that more research and analysis should be utilised in Jamaica to assess the returns on investment for partnerships with sporting teams and for staging events.

“All too often we hear about the costs of hosting events without a balanced appreciation for the projected returns. No business case is based solely on expenses.

“It was interesting to hear the Antiguan minister refer to the returns they were expecting from hosting the new CPL franchise — and not the cost they would be incurring. What will be important is how they monitor, measure and validate that return. This is a discipline we have not been very good at in Jamaica, which is why we tend simply to focus on the expense side. If we did that with every industry there wouldn’t be a single business in existence,” Dehring said.