Youth, state of cricket among topics at Caricom talks

THE state of West Indies cricket will be one of the main topics discussed during the two-day Caricom Regional Cricket Conference – Reinvigorating West Indies Cricket, being facilitated by the Prime Minister.

The conference will be held at the Hyatt Regency Trinidad on April 25 and April 26.

The other topics on the agenda are a perspective on West Indies cricket; the West Indies Players Association's perspective; Cricket West Indies (CWI) cricket and performance framework; the business of cricket; and youth and school programming.

Regional leaders and cricket stakeholders from around the Caribbean are expected to attend. Former Grenada prime minister Dr Keith Mitchell; Barbados prime minister Mia Mottley; president of Guyana and chairman of Caricom Irfaan Ali; CWI president Dr Kishore Shallow; and former West Indies captain Clive Lloyd are scheduled to be there.

Dr Rowley, Mitchell and prime minister of St Vincent and the Grenadines Dr Ralph Gonsalves have been among the most vocal regional leaders concerning West Indies cricket.

Speaking at a post-Cabinet briefing on Thursday, Rowley hoped the conference would help create more buzz in West Indies cricket.

He said, “I’m hoping that it will stimulate some interest in supporting West Indies cricket in a way that it has not been supported and clarified, and of course the whole question of who owns West Indies cricket will certainly surface again, and how it is managed and so on.”

In a post on Facebook yesterday, Mitchell said, "I’m thrilled to participate in the regional cricket conference and deeply grateful to my brother from Trinidad and Tobago, Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley, for the invitation. Cricket is more than a game to me, it’s a passion that unites communities and inspires us all.

"It’s an honour to share insights that might help shape the future of our beloved sport. I look forward to engaging in discussions with fellow enthusiasts and policy-makers to foster cricket’s growth and create a bright future for upcoming generations."