BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (CMC) — Outspoken St Vincent and the Grenadines Prime Minister, Dr Ralph Gonsalves, has labelled Ricky Skerritt and Dr Kishore Shallow as “two very good candidates”, in reaction to news the duo will be contesting the top posts in Cricket West Indies (CWI) presidential elections later this month.
Skerritt, a former Cabinet minister in St Kitts, will be seeking to topple incumbent CWI president Dave Cameron while Shallow, the president of the St Vincent and the Grenadines Cricket Association, will be up against Emmanuel Nathan for the vice-presidency.
Gonsalves, the chairman of the CARICOM subcommittee on cricket, said Skerritt and Shallow were “modern Caribbean personalities steeped within our Caribbean civilisation”, and possessed the ideas to take West Indies cricket forward.
“Well, I nor do the people of the region have a vote. It’s an indirect election of a kind which ought to change. Even the people in cricket are saying this,” Gonsalves told CMC Sports.
“We are seeing two very good candidates in Mr Ricky Skerritt and Dr Kishore Shallow. Both of them are much steeped in cricket historically, they are concerned about the finances in cricket, cricket development, have a very good approach to people, engaging, listen and want to be on good terms with all the governments and fans.”
He continued: “They have very progressive ideas on how West Indies cricket should move forward in the plan they have put out. These are serious people – modern Caribbean personalities, steeped within our Caribbean civilisation.”
Skerritt and Shallow have advanced a 10-point Cricket First Plan which among other objectives, places renewed focus on cricket at the grassroots level, the modernisation of coaching education and enhancement of the current franchise system.