Jamaican business leader and former Senator Don Wehby says West Indies cricket will see a turnaround in fortunes if shareholders agree to implement the Wehby Report on governance reform.

Cricket West Indies (CWI) shareholders are to vote on Friday over the implementation of the recommendations proposed in the report.

Published in 2020, the report was prepared by an independent five-member task force steered by Wehby. The Wehby Report details sweeping reforms designed to strengthen the effectiveness, accountability, and transparency of CWI’s governance structure.

“I am very confident that if the report is implemented, we will see a significant improvement in our cricket at all levels,” Wehby told the Jamaica Observer on the eve of the vote.

The CWI’s full member shareholders are the Barbados Cricket Association (BCA), Guyana Cricket Board (GCB), Jamaica Cricket Association (JCA), Leeward Islands Cricket Board (LICB), Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board (TTCB), and Windward Islands Cricket Board (WICB).

The Wehby Report points to the need to harness and develop the region’s vast cricket talent and presents the way in which improved governance will contribute to the process. It further outlines that the sustainability of West Indies cricket is dependent on fostering trust between CWI and other stakeholders, including regional governments and corporate entities.

According to the report, the proposed governance changes will make it easier for West Indies cricket to be seen as a “public good” rather than a private operation led by a chosen few.

The West Indies team was the dominant force in global cricket from the mid to late 1970s to the mid-1990s. But that has since changed drastically.

It is widely agreed that a major reason for the decline over the last nearly 30 years is the lack of funding for the regional game and its support structures in the increasingly professional, commercially driven modern world.

“Cricket is big business and must be treated as such. Corporate governance best practice must be a number one priority,” Wehby, an avid cricket lover, reasoned.

Previous reports examining the structure of West Indies cricket include those done by High Court judge Anthony Lucky (2004), former Jamaica Prime Minister PJ Patterson (2007), and King’s Counsel Charles Wilkin (2012).

Although some recommendations have been implemented over the years, many believe the changes made have not been significant enough to precipitate consistent positive results on the field.

In March 2024 CWI President Dr Kishore Shallow expressed his intent to implement the governance reforms of the Wehby Report after some resolutions related to the recommendations failed to gain approval at the CWI annual general meeting.

“While it is disappointing that some resolutions did not find favour with the majority on this occasion, I remain committed to ensuring that CWI governance structure is always at its most robust,” Shallow said.

There is anticipation in some quarters that the vote on Friday could see shareholders making their biggest step yet to filling the gaps in CWI’s governance framework, and possibly chart a sustainable future for West Indies cricket.

—Sanjay Myers