Incumbent West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) president, Dave Cameron, had his re-election chances significantly boosted when his home territory, the Jamaica Cricket Association (JCA), made an about-turn and decided to throw their support behind him, in next month presidential elections.
JCA directors had earlier this month voted 10-6 to support Cameron’s challenger, Barbados Cricket Association president Joel Garner. The move sparked dissent among the wider membership who yesterday voted unanimously at their annual general meeting to strike down the original decision and have the JCA support Cameron.
While Cameron was given the opportunity to make his case to the JCA for re-election ahead of the initial directors’ vote, Garner could not because of a hiccup in telecommunications, the Jamaica Observer reported. However, outspoken JCA director Wayne Lewis said the fact Garner had not made a presentation was now “irrelevant”, as the membership had spoken strongly.
“We still never got the opportunity to hear from Garner. But the members spoke, you could feel it in the room that they didn’t care too much about that because they knew exactly who they wanted to support,” Lewis told the Jamaica Observer.
“The wider constituents supported the Jamaican so the fact that they didn’t hear from Garner became irrelevant to them because they knew that [initial] decision was an unjust decision and they wanted to make the wrong right.”
The development is a huge blow to Garner’s chances of toppling Cameron at the March 7 Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the WICB here. While the Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board have backed the legendary former West Indies fast bowler, the Windward Islands, Leeward Islands and Guyana have all indicated their support for Cameron.
In recent months, Cameron came under fire for his handling of the aborted tour of India and the subsequent impasse between the players, the WICB and players union, WIPA. The WICB could also face a US$42 million lawsuit in coming months if the Indian Cricket Board follows through on their promise to seek damages arising from the abandoned tour.