Former Cricket West Indies (CWI) director Baldath Mahabir has dismissed the latest statement by CWI president Dr Kishore Shallow as a “charade” and “political gimmickry,” accusing the board of using public relations tactics to distract from systemic failures in West Indies cricket.
In a strong reaction to Shallow’s call for unity following West Indies’ defeat to Australia in the final Test at Sabina Park, Mahabir questioned the value of convening an emergency meeting of the Cricket Strategy and Officiating Committee and inviting legends such as Sir Vivian Richards, Brian Lara, and Sir Clive Lloyd to join the discussions. “This is nothing but a charade,” Mahabir said. “Calling big names won’t clean over our problems because this is systemic.” Mahabir questioned why committees were needed if CWI had centralised selection authority in one individual, referring to the current system under which head coach Daren Sammy also serves as selector. “Why would you bring in a committee to look at things when you have given the authority to one man? If you value committees, why was the selection committee disbanded?” Mahabir asked. “All of this is cosmetic…All of that is political gimmickry.”
He argued that West Indies cricket administration remains trapped in an outdated, colonial-era structure that has failed since the 1990s and is yet to be modernised to align with successful sporting models worldwide.
“We have been using the same playbook and structure that has failed since 1995 and we are not trying to correct it. All sporting organisations have reformed themselves to be more relevant in the modern world. We are still using something that has failed.”
On Sammy’s expanded role as head coach and selector across formats, Mahabir said: “For sure, the one selector position cannot work. And, secondly, Sammy is not the candidate for one coach.” He added that accepting such a “colossal responsibility” comes with consequences.
Mahabir further dismissed Shallow’s recent comments blaming regional governments for the state of cricket, arguing that leadership accountability lies with the board itself.
“When has the government picked a West Indies team? When has the government run a coaching programme? Why is the government to blame? You are trying to deflect the blame to somebody else… No man. One of the things about leadership is that you have to say I was in charge when things went bad and take some accountability,” stated Mahabir.
Describing Shallow’s statement as a “gigantically shallow veil to cover up the rubbish they are doing,” the former CWI director concluded: “Shallow has been a colossal failure. No amount of tinkering or public relations with the present system is going to help West Indies cricket. That’s the bottom line.”
