Batting in cricket's interest

Last week Saturday, Azim Bassarath, 52, became the new man in charge of Trinidad and Tobago’s cricket after he defeated the incumbent, former West Indies wicketkeeper Deryck Murray by 26 votes to 23, at the Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board’s election of officers.

He talks now about the reasons for his success and why he expects to stay in office beyond his two-year term.

With the success of the Trinidad and Tobago cricket team and the talent that has been coming through, why change now?

The administration of the Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board is not only with the national team. There are different stakeholders involved at the Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board. There are the primary schools, the secondary schools, the umpires, the women’s cricket and most importantly, the zones and the clubs.

At the ground level, we received complaints. Also being on the executive committee of the board, several attempts were made by myself and Dr (Allen) Sammy for the then executive to visit the stakeholders and this call to visit the stakeholders was totally neglected by the past administration.

But you would agree that the success of the national team and the fact that talent has been coming through meant that something was working?

Yes, I agree that talent was coming through. The national team was very successful, but I want to correct that perception about the success of the national team. I just want to remind you that the national team has not won a four-day tournament for the past two seasons.

They won the double in 2006 and they only won the international challenge, which is the less prestigious four-day tournament in 2007. In 2008 and 2009, we didn’t win anything in the four-day tournament, however we won the 50 overs in 2007 and 2008 (and now 2009). We won the Stanford tournament in 2008. But we continue to hear that the national team is the dominant force in Caribbean cricket.

To use the word dominant, I feel we should be dominating at all aspects of the game. In the four-day tournament we cannot say that we are dominating.

In your acceptance speech, you described Deryck Murray as a schoolboy picked to play someone else’s Test match. What does that mean?

It shouldn’t be taken in that context. I was just trying to say...he occupied the position of the president for a period of time and-the time has come and we just replaced him. I want to put on record also that Deryck is a legend in West Indies cricket, he has an international reputation and he is someone who will always be respected.

How will you describe the campaign?

It was a bruising battle. It was long. I became very disenchanted with the administration at about the month of April and I maybe started putting a team together in about May or June and from there, we were meeting quite regularly, visiting different stakeholders. And from there, we got the feeling at ground level that we should put a team together to contest the elections.

You described it as bruising. What was bruising about it?

People attacked your character, they attacked your integrity, on both sides that is. From the press conferences you will realise that it was very, very-both sides were going at each others’ throats.

So what happens next? How divided is Trinidad and Tobago cricket?

Trinidad and Tobago cricket is not divided. The tone of the acceptance speech was in keeping with the election campaign. After that, on Sunday, things became normal again. I have made a call nationally that both sides must get together and we must work together for the benefit of Trinidad and Tobago cricket and by extension West Indies cricket. It is only six days since I assumed office and I have already met with the Secondary Schools Cricket League, with Mr William Wallace who was a member of the opposing team.

I have had discussions on two occasions with Deryck. Deryck came and did the handing-over on Monday which was very, very cordial. I have had a lovely meeting with (CEO) Forbes (Persaud) and other people who I have made appeals to.

You mentioned the CEO. Also in your speech, you raised the question of a CEO who is not necessarily a member of the winning team being in office. He has a contract. Do you see a problem with that at this point in time?

I don’t see it as a problem. I am hoping that Forbes will come along. He has promised that he is going to work with us, he is going to implement whatever policy that we come up with.

Being the individual that he is supposed to be, because he’s holding a very respectable position on the board, a very prestigious position, I am hoping that whatever policy that comes up at the executive and we ask to be implemented, that he is going to implement (it).

One got the impression that those called the ’Lequay Loyalists’ and the Murray administration never saddled horses. Was that an issue in the past?

When (Murray’s) Friends of Cricket won the elections, there was always this animosity with Friends of Cricket and people who were associated with Mr (Alloy) Lequay. The term Lequay Loyalists, I think we are doing Mr Lequay a grave injustice. Mr Lequay was not involved in this elections at all, and the opposite side dragged Mr Lequay’s name through the mud and I think that was a grave injustice to someone who has dedicated more than 45 years of service to cricket.

So he was not a supporter of yours?

I am not sure he was a supporter of ours. I did not speak to him during the election campaign. Mr Lequay never attended any of our meetings, he never called during the campaign. I received a call from him on the Sunday night after the elections.

I must also mention that I served as a member of the executive committee in Mr Lequay’s tenure, so that is the reason why maybe Mr Lequay called me to congratulate me.

Is Jack Warner a supporter?

There were calls on the other side that Mr Warner was supporting us. Jack Warner supported South East Zone for five years. We must recognise Mr Warner is a citizen of Trinidad and Tobago. Mr Warner is one of the most respected individuals in this country-I am not aware Mr Warner supported us.

He didn’t support you in any active way?

Not at all. Mr Warner did not support us in any active way. I received an e-mail from Mr Warner on Sunday and that was in keeping with our friendship, he being the main supporter of South East Zone, and maybe because of the fact that Mr Warner saw my ability in South East Zone that he decided to send me an e-mail.

That is the extent of it?

Of course that is the extent of it.

But do you see a role for him in local cricket in any way?

I am not sure if there is a role for Mr Warner in cricket at all. But definitely, being the person that he is, he is one of the most powerful men in world football, from time to time, I may be seeking advice from Mr Warner because I am new to this. And if one person can give advice it’s Mr Warner.

In a nutshell, what is your background in cricket?

I played club cricket at the zonal level in Moruga. I became involved in cricket administration with my club in 1989 and then I moved on to the South East Zonal council. I was representing my club at the zonal council meetings. I was appointed vice-chairman of South East Zone in 1996 and I was elected chairman in 1997 and I served until September of 2009.

Also, in 1999, through the board I became an executive member and I served as an executive member until 2005. In 2005, I became the second vice-president and I served for one term; 2007, I became the first vice-president.

You have served in the last three administrations. You served under Mr Lequay, you went to Mr Murray, why the change?

At that time in 2005, I found people were giving the impression they owned the cricket. Things were beginning to come stale. Deryck Murray, being the person he is, he came on board, he spoke to me, and I decided we should give somebody new an opportunity to serve and because of his West Indies background, I felt he had something to offer Trinidad and Tobago cricket and I felt at that time we should give him the chance.

However, they failed on some of the promises they had made-that they were going to have more people involved, and decisions of the board being made collectively and not by one or two individuals. So then I decided I didn’t put them in office for that purpose. I put people in office to serve cricket, not only serve one particular unit of the board.

How would you describe your management style?

All-embracing and all-inclusive. My style will be far different from that of Deryck. My approach will be to have everybody involved. This will not be a one-man show but I will be engaging the entire cricket board and the executive in all the major decision-making of the TTCB.

And you feel he did not do that?

He did not do that. Some of the decisions that were taken, were taken solo.

Are you at this stage interested in becoming a West Indies Board director representing Trinidad?

I will leave that up to the executive to decide. I have no interest in really serving at that level because I want to concentrate on local cricket here and try to spread cricket across Trinidad and Tobago.

We must also let it be known that locally, cricket is not being played in every nook and cranny. We want to spread cricket more in the northern area. If you ask people whether cricket is being played in Laventille, in the Malick area, that is a question we should ask ourselves. We must do something because we feel that there may be hidden talent in those areas.

What is your position on T&T going alone at some point?

There is a legacy in West Indies cricket, there is a tradition. It is one thing that keeps the West Indian people together. This has been in existence since 1929/1930 and I can’t see any one territory going it alone. In the past I think Barbados wanted to go it alone and Antigua wanted to go it alone, and look what is happening today. Barbados can hardly win a Caribbean tournament, Antigua likewise, the entire Leeward Islands cannot win a tournament.

The time may come-we are hoping that is doesn’t come-when Trinidad and Tobago will become likewise. It is not because we are dominating at this stage we should feel we are the kings of cricket and move away.

I know it’s early days yet, but how do you see your administration approaching the running of West Indies cricket now?

We have to get deeper involved in the running of West Indies cricket. I’m not sure enough cricket is being discussed at West Indies Cricket Board level and whether the directors are cricket oriented people.

There was a time when I told the executive of the Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board that enough cricket was not being discussed at the executive level. And I had taken great offence where only marketing and things were the main topics that were being discussed. Cricket has to be discussed because that is the commodity and that is the product that the West Indies Cricket Board produces.

Your term is two years. At the end of two years, where would you like T&T cricket to be?

Initially it is two years, but in two years’ time, I don’t think anybody will challenge this present administration.

We want to see T&T cricket start to win youth tournaments. We have not won a youth tournament since 2005. We have not won an under-15 tournament, we have not won an under-19 tournament.

Trinidad and Tobago won an under-17 tournament here last year. I don’t think that was recognised by the West Indies Cricket Board. At under-19 we only won a limited overs tournament in 2008. We are hoping that we are going to reproduce players to win youth tournaments. We are also hoping to work with the national senior team to ensure that we start winning again the four-day tournament.

Definitely after last (Thursday) night’s (President’s Cup) victory and how the team played at the Airtel Champions League, we feel in the not-too-distant future that this senior team will be the ones to beat in the Caribbean.

Why are you so confident there will be no challenge in two years’ time?

Because we will be listening to the constituents. We have promised the constituents that we are going to work with them and if we keep in touch with the constituents and we do what is right-and I’m quite sure that this administration will do what is right-that there will be no need for anybody to challenge.