An interesting article was published on July 23, 2021 by this daily publication. The article surrounded the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) sending a letter to Cricket West Indies (CWI), expressing dissatisfaction with CWI meeting the Government of Guyana without the involvement of the GCB, as it relates to hosting the Pakistan-West Indies T20 Internationals.
CWI Vice President Dr Kishore Shallow
Despite all the proverbial trouble in the camp between CWI, the Sports Ministry and the GCB, the Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport, Charles Ramson Jnr, has said the relationship with his Ministry and the GCB is very strong.
“I had a meeting with them (GCB) (last Saturday). We have a strong relationship with the GCB, and we intend to keep it that way. This is the first time that you would have seen the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport has ever had as strong a relationship with all the sports associations and federations. We intend to keep it that way,” Ramson said during his visit to Berbice on Sunday.
As Sport Minister, he also spoke about the recognition his Ministry gained from the President of Guyana, Dr Irfaan Ali, as it relates to the relationship with sport associations and federations.
“So strong it’s been, listen to the President’s speech on his first year in office. Reference was made to sports associations and federations in the President’s speech. That has never happened before in the history of our country. That is because we got a genuine sense of feeling, and believe that the sports associations and federations, because we build trust, they want to work and collaborate. They see that the Ministry is taking the lead and being proactive in how it’s doing its business and allocating its resources in a fair, novel, and innovative way. They see that and want to be a part of that,” he said.
GCB President Bissoondyal Singh
Minister Ramson added: “We believe that this collaborative approach is the best way to be able to get the most out of what we are doing. There is an old saying: many hands make light work, and that is something the Ministry has started from the beginning.”
CWI Vice President Dr Kishore Shallow has also said this issue between CWI, the Ministry and the GCB, as it relates to the planning phase of hosting the Pakistan-West Indies T20I in Guyana, has been resolved, and everyone understand their roles.
“To my knowledge, that situation has been resolved. Everyone understands their roles, hence the successful hosting of that (T20I) series against Pakistan,” Dr Shallow said on Tuesday’s Mason and Guest radio programme.
Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport, Charles Ramson Jnr
In addition, the GCB has expressed dissatisfaction with CWI initially, when only four Guyanese were selected for the West Indies Under-19 training camp in Antigua. CWI has reacted, and looked to solve this issue by allowing four more Guyanese into the training camp in Antigua.
The Bissoondyal Singh-led GCB has also questioned the selection policy of CWI when some Guyanese cricketers missed out on selection and missed out on international retainer contracts.
