Cricket commentator Dr Joseph ‘Reds’ Perreira has weighed in on the appointment of Lynford Inverary as the new Chief Operating Officer (COO) and Acting Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Cricket West Indies (CWI).
The Guyana-born Antiguan national’s appointment follows the departure of former CEO Johnny Grave.
Inverary, who holds a Bachelor’s degree in International Business (BSc Hons) and an MBA in Business Administration, is an internal hire, having led the development of CWI’s 2024-27 Strategic Plan.
Commenting on this leadership change in Caribbean cricket, Perreira wished the newly appointed COO well.
“I would like to start by wishing Guyanese Linford Inverary the best of success in his new role as COO,” he said. “According to information from CWI, Inverary is highly qualified for the position, and the organisation has been impressed with his work thus far.”
Perreira believes that for a successful tenure, Inverary must seek to tackle some of pertinent issues plaguing the Windies Cricket. Among them is the need for more transparency and the sharing of information with media outlets.
“One key area for the new COO to focus on is improving public relations, particularly by providing updated information on player selection and injury reports—an area that has been lacking in recent years.” he noted.
“The new COO should also convince his CWI Cricket Director colleague, Miles Bascombe, to hold quarterly press conferences to present to the territorial boards and their respective membership CWI’s strategic development plans for West Indies cricket.”
The veteran commentator also believes that the issue of low attendance at games is a matter of great concern that should be addressed promptly.
“Given that Mr Inverary follows West Indies cricket, he must surely also be aware of the poor attendance at both regional and international matches. This is an ongoing embarrassing situation not only for Caribbean people but also for the global audience watching the matches. One reason for these poor crowds I believe has been the lack of effort by CWI to engage with tourism ministries, hotel associations (and hotels individually), and the private sector (such as chambers of commerce).
“These entities could act as partners to promote upcoming series—such as the forthcoming Bangladesh tour to the Caribbean with its Test matches scheduled in Jamaica and Antigua—well in advance to drive interest and attendance. Additionally, creative marketing strategies could help boost attendance…Special group prices to cricket clubs in the region can also be offered.
“A new approach should be considered: lowering ticket prices to make them more attractive to a larger audience. This strategy could also be applied to the 50-over competition in Trinidad as well as next year’s first-class season.”
Perreira also commented on the decision to give Inverary a dual position, as acting CEO along with his COO duties.
“I am surprised by CWI Executive Board’s decision to combine the roles of COO and acting CEO. Given the prior notice from former CEO Johnny Greaves about his departure, one would have expected the search for a new CEO to begin early, allowing ample time to identify and appoint a high-quality candidate with the experience to hit the ground running.
“Far too often acting positions tend to become permanent as an easy solution, but West Indies cricket’s current situation calls for a more deliberate, strategic approach.”
