Paul-Andre Walker, Staff ReporterPROS
GOES A LONG WAY TO FULFILLING THE NEED FOR INFRASTRUCTURAL DEVELOPMENT THROUGHOUT THE REGION.
"First of all the injection of funds into our facilities, into our players is desperately needed in West Indies cricket. It will certainly re-energise the state of West Indies cricket. Not only the cricket but the general rapport from fans and players and businesses and stuff like that. It's something that will create a lot of excitement, but I think overall it's something that is needed in West Indies cricket. It is something that will go a long way into tremendously boosting our development."
-Richie Richardson
INTRODUCES FIRST-CLASS CRICKET TO A
WIDER CROSS-SECTION OF THE CARIBBEAN
"Whether it is to re-develop their grounds or setting up a coaching programme for players or whatever their needs might be, most of those territories beyond the region of established West Indies cricket could not, given the parlous state of the financial state of the Caribbean, come into this kind of money to establish and re-establish their facilities and players."
GETS THE WEST INDIES INVOLVED
IN A RISING FORM OF CRICKET
"I personally believe that each version of cricket has its place. Test Cricket has its place, 50-over international cricket has its place, and now the success that we've seen from Twenty/20 cricket means it has its place. In a day and age when people don't have a lot of time to spare then Twenty/20 cricket has its place.
-Ian Bishop
CAN BE A LONG-TERM REMEDY IN THE WAY OF REVITALISING WEST INDIES CRICKET
"If it is a success it will be an annual event over the next five/six years when West Indies cricket will be back where it used to be. You can see the reflection of the shorter version of the game in Test match cricket right now. Test match cricket I find is far more exciting because guys are applying the one-day format. They are more aggressive, they are scoring four runs an over. The most successful team in Test cricket is doing that, the way guys are fielding is because of the one-day version of the game. So the shorter version of the game complements Test cricket and improves the performances in Test Cricket."
-Richie Richardson.
PROVIDES A LARGER TALENT
BASE FOR WEST INDIES CRICKET
"The greatest thing for a young player is to be able to represent his country. I think of what it will mean for players outside of the regular cricketing countries in the Caribbean to play against Guyana or Jamaica or Barbados. They are getting that exposure and from that there might be someone from those islands that would benefit West Indies Cricket."
PROVIDES THE OPPORTUNITY FOR THE CARIBBEAN TO BENEFIT FROM THE EXPERTISE OF A GROUP THAT DOMINATED WORLD CRICKET IN A DIRECT FASHION
"The 14 ambassadors that have been selected are the West Indies' top cricketers and therefore they can do coaching and whatever is required of the West Indies Cricket Board."
- Lance Gibbs
CONS
MIGHT NOT BE TRANSFERABLE
IN THE LONG TERM.
"It is up to the regional territories to catch a hold of a region with a renewed interest in the sport."
-Ian Bishop
FUNDS MIGHT BE ILL-DIRECTED AND BETTER SERVED IN THE HANDS OF THE WEST INDIES CRICKET BOARD, WHO HAVE A GREATER UNDERSTANDING OF THE NEEDS OF WEST INDIES CRICKET.
"It is his money and he wants to control how it is spent. There are auditors and the money must be spent in a way that befits the offer."
-Lance Gibbs
AN INCREASED INTEREST IN TWENTY/20 CRICKET DOESN'T MEAN AN INCREASED INTEREST IN WEST INDIES CRICKET
"You've got to start somewhere. I don't see any drawbacks whatsoever.
What Mr Stanford is doing is providing an injection of funds where he's upgrading your facilities, upgrading your coaching, upgrading your dieticians that tell the youngsters how to eat and how to train', you're getting trainers involved, so its a filip for West Indies cricket to a certain extent.
Don't only base this on the Twenty/20 competition itself, you have to look at this overall."
-Lance Gibbs.
