Despite accepting the post as senior government minister in St Vincent and the Grenadines, Dr Kishore Shallow has insisted that he will stay on as president of Cricket West Indies (CWI) until his second term ends in 2028.

Against a backdrop of calls for him to step aside to avoid potential conflicts of interest, Dr Shallow’s explanation is that he feels the need to lead the way in implementing difficult, ongoing reforms.

Most agree that those reforms, largely captured in the Wehby Report of August 2020, led by the late Jamaican business leader Mr Don Wehby, are sorely needed to drag West Indies cricket into the modern world.

In seeking to justify his decision to stay on, Dr Shallow said, in part, late last year: “I have thought long and hard about this. My conviction is that this work ahead requires steady leadership and a commitment to complete the reforms already set in motion…”

In brief, the Wehby Report followed on and borrowed from other reports also urging the modernisation of West Indies cricket. Those include the 1992 Governance Report, the 2007 Patterson Report (led by former Jamaican Prime Minister PJ Patterson), the Wilkins Report of 2012, and the 2015 Barriteau Report.

Essentially, the Wehby Report urges that West Indies cricket be run in business-like, professional fashion, in line with the demands of the modern world.

Back in October 2023 this newspaper argued that the suggested “governance changes should make it easier for West Indies cricket to be seen as a public good rather than a private fiefdom for a chosen few”.

Following his re-election unopposed in 2023, Dr Shallow said: “The Wehby Report offers us a road map to a more efficient, transparent, and accountable organisation. We [CWI] are committed to delivering on this commitment, ensuring that CWI operates at its full potential and sets a standard for good governance in the cricketing world.”

It seems to us that it is precisely because of this commitment to good governance, transparency, accountability, etc, that Dr Shallow should recognise that he needs to remove himself from the helm of the regional sport.

West Indies cricket, let’s not forget, is integral to Caribbean life, dating back in excess of a century. It is the reason regional leaders of cricket-playing territories of the Caribbean Community (Caricom) saw it fit to set up a special prime ministerial subcommittee focused on the regional game, as well as its many, varied challenges.

As is well-established, regional political leaders are not always in sync with regional and territorial cricket leadership. As it is, Dr Shallow is at risk of having to serve two masters, sitting on either side of the table. How does that work?

At another very practical level, it seems to us that the sheer workload of being tourism and maritime minister in St Vincent and the Grenadines means that, with the best will in the world, he may not have time to focus as he should on the many challenges facing Caribbean cricket.

The harsh truth is that 2028 is a long way away. It would be naive for the CWI president to think that, in the meantime, the current pushback following his decision to stay on will just disappear. It won’t. Furthermore, West Indies cricket — already in serious trouble — will likely suffer.

Dr Shallow should do the right thing and gracefully walk away.