WI Retired Players Foundation receives US$500,000 after ten-year wait

WEST Indies legend Deryck Murray said it is important for past cricketers to feel appreciated for their efforts. Murray was speaking after the news that the West Indies Retired Players Foundation had received US$500,000 that apparently went missing.

The money, a gift from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), was sent to CWI between 2013 and 2014. The funds were not received until recently.

Queen's Park Cricket Club president Dr Nigel Camacho, a committee member of the West Indies Retired Players Foundation, which was formed in 2013, spoke about the money at the Caricom Cricket Conference at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Port of Spain on Friday.
Camacho thanked president of CWI Dr Kishore Shallow and CWI CEO Johnny Grave.
"Thank you, Dr Shallow, thank you, Mr Grave, that this month the money finally arrived in the account of the (West Indies) Retired Players Foundation," Camacho said.

"My message to you is that finally we have a retired players' foundation that hopefully is for the retired players, to help the retired players after their playing days...given the legacy of our magnificent team of the 1970s and 1980s, I look forward to the future."

In May 2020, when it was first revealed that the funds were missing, Camacho said the retired players' foundation had no knowledge that any former players had ever benefited from the BCCI donation.

In a WhatsApp message to Newsday, Shallow said CWI had paid the US$500,000. Shallow has  been CWI president since March 2023.

One of the areas the money is expected to be used will be to help past players with medical bills.

One of the players from the legendary Windies team of the 1970s was elated that the funds to support past players are now available. Murray, a former West Indies wicket-keeper, told Newsday, "I think it is a wonderful concept. I think there should have some clarity with the past players so they know that the fund is available, but more importantly, how can it be accessed."

Murray, who played for West Indies from 1963-1980, said steps should be taken to help raise funds if past players need assistance.
"I also think there should be initiatives to help raise funds to supplement what was received...and how we could encourage others to contribute to the fund."

Murray, 80, said past players should feel their contributions to West Indies cricket will be remembered.
"Very often we talk about George Headley and people from those eras. Many of those would have passed on, but there are still people from previous generations who could really benefit from any sort of assistance that is necessary. It is good to make people feel that they are remembered for their efforts."
Murray was part of the West Indies team that won the 1975 and 1979 World Cups.

Murray was one of many West Indies legends who attended the Caricom conference. Some of the others were Joel Garner, Sir Wes Hall and Desmond Haynes. Former West Indies fast bowling legend Michael Holding and batting icon Brian Lara participated in the conference virtually.

The $500,000 first came into the public domain in May 2020 through Holding, who brought the issue to light in his YouTube programme Mikey – Holding Nothing Back.

In the programme, Holding read from an audit by external and independent auditor Parnell Kerr Foster (PKF).

Concerning the money, Holding said, “I am a past player. I am not saying I want any of it, but I know a lot of past players. I’ve never heard of one cent out of that half a million US dollars going to any past player and I am absolutely sure if they had done that, they would have made a hullabaloo about it, a big press conference (to say), ‘Look what we are doing for the former players.’ Half a million dollars – where is that half a million dollars?”