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GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday March 12, 2016
Cricket great Martin Crowe given farewell in Auckland memorial service … Crowe remembered by brother Jeff for his ‘beautiful mind’
FAMILY and former teammates have remembered New Zealand cricket great Martin Crowe as a uniquely gifted player, a cheeky prankster and a loving father. About 1 000 people filled Auckland’s Holy Trinity Cathedral for Crowe’s funeral yesterday. Addressing the mourners, former teammate Ian Smith described how hard he was hit upon realising Crowe was dying after receiving a text message in England. “It simply said: Hey Stockley, I want you to do my eulogy,” Smith said. Martin Crowe tributes reflect the man, and show cricket at its best. Smith recalled Crowe’s unique leadership, determination to win and his agony after a 299-run innings against Sri Lanka in 1991. “We all shared the dismay as he fell agonisingly one run short,” Smith said. “One word sums up Martin Crowe and all that he did to me: passion.” He described Crowe, who
died at 53, as a cheeky prankster who took pride in his ability to do impersonations of other player’s styles on days interrupted by rain. “There were a lot of things I
Russell Crowe was a pallbearer, and Martin’s brother Jeff joked that yesterday was maybe the only day Martin would be the most famous of the pair.
describing him as someone with a “beautiful mind” who gave so much beyond cricket. “Perhaps in death he’ll get the recognition fitting the player and the per-
Auckland Grammar students perform a haka at the funeral of Martin Crowe. admired about Martin Crowe, but more than anything his ability to relax.” Crowe’s cousin, actor
Speaking to the congregation, Jeff recalled Crowe’s cricket prowess from an early age, before
son that he was,” he said. He described finding out about his brother’s death while in Bangladesh and how
it filled the news there, with parks Crowe had never seen holding moments of silence and tributes. Video tributes from current New Zealand internationals Ross Taylor and Martin Guptill, preparing for the World Twenty20 in India, were played with both saying they owed him a great deal. Taylor recalled calling Crowe as a 20-year-old to seek his advice and that was the beginning of a wonderful friendship. He revealed Crowe sent him an email after New Zealand had been well beaten in the first Test against Australia in Brisbane in November which left him questioning his future in the game. “That page and a half of words made me really believe and have faith again,” said Taylor who made 290 in the next Test. A tearful Guptill said both he and Taylor were incredibly proud to be referred to as the sons Crowe never had.
Wife Lorraine Downes said Crowe was her soulmate: “My grief is huge as was my love for Marty,” she said. New Zealand Cricket representatives at the funeral included chief David White, president Stephen Boock and board member Richard Hadlee. Former international teammates were among the mourners as was former Australian Test captain Greg Chappell, representing Cricket Australia. Meanwhile, former Black Caps skippers Brendon McCullum and Stephen Fleming, who could not attend, opted instead to hold a minute of silence at the New Zealand Open in Queenstown along with former Australian cricketers Allan Border and Ricky Ponting. Students from Crowe’s former school, Auckland Grammar, formed a guard of honour and others performed a rousing haka as Crowe’s coffin left the church. (www.Guardian)
Cameron: ‘Give us your money, not your advice’ By Dr Rudy Webster SOMEONE once said that if you want to predict how managers and administrators are likely to behave and perform at work, look at their motivational profiles and hierarchy of values, not just their talent or skill. For years, West Indies Cricket Board’s (WICB) overriding motivation has been the need for power, control, recognition and self-preservation, hence its authoritarian style of leadership, its self-delusion and its inflated sense of worth. Instead of focusing on the growth, development, welfare and performance of its players, it is continually consumed by its power, needs and desires. This is a prescription for failure and disaster. The Board rejected the recommendations of the CARICOM Governance Review Panel months ago as impractical, unnecessary and intrusive. Since then nothing has changed. As expected, the Board reinforced its position at a WICB meeting in Jamaica just a few days ago.
At the same time that the Board was dismissing the prime ministers of the region and the CARICOM Report, Cameron was calling on Caribbean governments to join forces with the WICB to invest financially in the rebuilding of its overall cricket programme. Cameron is sending a very strong message to the Caribbean prime ministers, “We don’t want your advice, just give us your money.” After the 27th Inter-sessional Meeting in Belize a few weeks ago, CARICOM prime ministers unanimously affirmed that the recommendations of the Governance Review Panel must be implemented and stressed that they will explore all options to see that this is done. Prime Minister Dr. Keith Mitchell explained that the WICB would not have the final say on whether the report’s recommendation will be implemented. According to ESPN Cricinfo, Giles Clarke the president of the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and one of the chief architects of the Big Three takeover is set to be called before the UK Parliament
to answer questions and explain his role in the controversial ICC structural reform of February 2014, in which the Boards of England, Australia and India
WICB president Dave cameron took control of cricket’s finances. The Select Parliamentary Committee wants to look into the conduct and governance of the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) in relation to international cricket. The committee has already had hearings with Greg Dyke, the FA chairman, over FIFA corruption; Sebastian Coe, IAAF pres-
ident, over doping in athletics; and Chris Kermode of ATP over match-fixing in tennis. The Committee wants to know if cricket is a clean sport. Committee member Damian Collins, the Conservative MP for Folkestone and Hythe, has asked the ECB to answer six specific and pointed questions pertaining to Clarke’s ongoing role and the Board’s overall commitment to good governance. He believes that ‘the cricketing public deserve to know the answers”. There are a few things that the cricketing public in the West Indies also deserve to know. Perhaps a similar CARICOM committee should summon president Cameron to answer the seven questions below. Pat Rousseau, a former president of the WICB, asked some of these questions a while ago but so far they have not been answered. QUESTIONS: 1. Why were you unwilling to support the group led by Pakistan to block the takeover by the Big Three
when your vote would have put an end to the efforts of England, Australia and India? 2. Why did you sign the Big Three agreement when you knew that WICB would automatically lose $43M? 3. Are you aware that there is no provision in the Constitution for an Executive President? 4. Are you paid by the Board as an Executive President? If so, are you aware that those payments are ultra vires because they are not provided for in the Constitution and may have to be refunded? 5. What are you paid by the Board in respect of your duties as Chairman and for what you do on behalf of the Board? 6. Why is Part 1 of the Lucky Report on the WICB website and not Part 2 that criticises the actions of President Griffith, Roger Brathwaite and Dave Cameron? 7. During your presidency the DIGICEL Contract was renewed. Does it contain the same provision requiring the sponsor to pay sponsorship fee to the DIGICEL agent giving him
authority to deduct money from that payment before paying the Board? The WICB has more or less declared war on CARICOM prime ministers and clearly has no intention of searching for a mutually beneficial solution. The Board must understand that West Indies cricket does not belong to twelve board members. It belongs to the players, the coaches, the clubs, the territories, the schools, the governments, the press, the people of the Caribbean and the millions of people around the world who are dying to see a competitive West Indies team again. It is time for CARICOM governments to step forward and flex their muscles. As Prime Minister Errol Barrow of Barbados used to say, “The Board must be brought to Christian understanding.” In addition to insisting that the questions above be answered fully and truthfully, governments should deny WICB the use of their grounds and stadia. They should also demand a detailed forensic audit of the governance of the WICB.