Though West Indies cricket has seen some difficult days recently, the business mind in charge of the Caribbean’s cricketing future sees a light at the end of the tunnel through a sports tourism-driven path.
Cricket West Indies CEO Chris Dehring was among the keynote speakers at the recently concluded State of the Tourism Industry Conference (SOTIC) 2025, held in Barbados from October 1–3. In his address to the gathered delegates — each keen to hear what the regional business magnate had to say — Dehring tackled the financial challenges and opportunities facing the beloved team.
Cricket West Indies recently announced significant revisions to the 2026 regional cricket calendar due to pressing financial constraints. These changes include the scaling back or restructuring of multiple tournaments and discontinuing both the West Indies Academy and the Combined Campuses and Colleges teams from future regional competitions. Coupled with a string of poor international results — heavy defeats to Nepal, India, and Australia — the developments have raised serious concerns about the future trajectory of West Indies cricket.
Yet, the CEO remains hopeful. Dehring, who served as tournament CEO during the West Indies’ hosting of the 2007 International Cricket Council’s Cricket World Cup, indicated that all signs show West Indians still care deeply about the gentleman’s game — a positive foundation to build upon.
“I don’t get as depressed as people would when I see us getting bowled out for 27,” he noted.
“The truth is when we got bowled out for 27 at Sabina, when I left that ground and I was dropped off by the taxi at the airport, the porters said, ‘Boy, Mr Dehring, what’s going on with your cricket?’ The guy checking me in at the BA counter said, ‘Boy, Mr Dehring, what are we going to do?’ The security people came over to me, ‘Boy, Mr Dehring, these people are a disgrace.’ The lady who, if you saw this lady in the club lounge, checking me in the airport lounge, you would never believe she’s a follower of cricket, says, ‘Boy, Mr Dehring, this is so embarrassing.’ And I said to myself as I settled into my seat on the plane, the only thing that would have been worse than being bowled out for 27 is if I’d walked through that airport and nobody said a word. Because that meant nobody cared. So we still care.”
To help regional cricket return to the standards that fans demand, Dehring mapped out a bold new vision for the development of West Indies cricket through sports infrastructure that could attract athletes, fans, and enthusiasts from across the world.
He revealed plans for the development of a world-class 20-acre facility in Antigua, inclusive of a cricket ground and a high-performance centre. He added there would be a transformation of the old “Sticky Wicket” restaurant into an elite cricket academy, a West Indies Cricket Experience Museum, and a hotel.
“But that facility, how it becomes sustainable, is by the sports tourism element, because there are going to be international teams,” he added. “I’m not talking about England anymore, we’re talking Brazil and Argentina.”
To aid in this regard, Dehring implored the corporate Caribbean community to invest in a product that benefits the entire region. The businessman revealed that Cricket West Indies has spent millions of dollars on airfare (US$82.5 million), hotel accommodations (US$120 million), and catering services (US$4.9 million), with very little sponsorship coming their way.
“It’s a commercial relationship. You benefit from us, so it suits you to invest in us,” he noted.
As West Indies cricket strives to chart a vision forward in uncertain times, the need to tap into the legacy of the brand that made the Men in Maroon relevant in their heyday has become even more crucial. With the global sports tourism market value projected to reach USD 645.76 billion in 2025, this model could inject much-needed cash into Caribbean cricket.
