Cricket West Indies’ finances recently underwent an audit from an accounting and financial management consulting firm PKF. The audit result indicates that Cricket West Indies (CWI) is currently suffering from excessive revenue projections. Meanwhile, the worrying factors from the audit figures all point towards the workings of the previous administration, i.e. the one headed by Dave Cameron between 2013 and 2019.
Dave Cameron threatens to sue West Indies cricket
Former Cricket West Indies President Dave Cameron recently threatened to take legal action against the board for allegations made towards him by the PKF report. Dave Cameron has asked the board to hand him over a copy of the audit which according to the report itself, has been critical of his tenure. According to ESPNCricinfo reports, Dave Cameron is demanding the copy within 48 hours so that he can respond to the recent allegations made towards him.
Earlier, former West Indies fast bowler Michael Holding and current Cricket West Indies President Ricky Skerritt gave their takes regarding the result of the audit. Since very little of the report’s findings have been published, Michael Holding emphasised towards the available results and blamed the previous regime for West Indies financial woes without naming anyone. On the other hand, Ricky Skerritt, who was appointed to the role after Dave Cameron’s exit in 2019, has been expressing his concerns over the financial future of the game in West Indies.
Moreover, Skerritt addressed the findings of the audit to the media by claiming that the report has “uncovered some illustrations of questionable executive standards and practices”. It has recently come to light that the 48-hour deadline has been passed. However, Dave Cameron is yet to receive any copy of the findings.
The news of the recent audit report comes on the backdrop of the West Indies board’s continuous struggles to pay match fees to their players. It was reported in April that West Indies team players, including comeback man Dwayne Bravo, have not received their match fees since January 2020. Since January, West Indies has hosted Ireland in a limited-overs home series and later toured Sri Lanka in February for three ODIs and two T20Is.
IPL 2020: Dwayne Bravo and co. likely to face a further financial setback
Several West Indies top stars like Dwayne Bravo, Chris Gayle, Sunil Narine, Andre Russell were expected to represent their respective Indian Premier League (IPL) franchises in the 2020 season of the tournament. While IPL 2020 was scheduled to commence on March 29, the T20 event got indefinitely postponed by the Indian cricket officials due to the coronavirus pandemic. Should the tournament not take place this year at all, West Indies cricketers may face a further financial setback as they will not be paid by their respective IPL franchises.
