On a sticky wicket

For the majority of his tenure at the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB), Roger Brathwaite always appeared to be batting on a sticky wicket.

During the four years he spent at the most visible sporting organisation in the region, the outgoing chief executive officer attracted a host of balls that jumped off a good length. In essence, the problems weren't often of his doing. It was a turbulent environment and sooner or later, it was inevitable he would be a casualty. He leaves office at the end of the month with some measure of respect even if his resignation was clearly a case of jumping before he was pushed. It was no secret that he had been asked to step down, perhaps a surprise that he wasn't requested to do so earlier.

To his credit, Brathwaite brought to the very demanding job a sound knowledge of the business of cricket, and tireless commitment, qualities recognised by Ken Gordon, the WICB president. Brathwaite was professional, articulate, and astute, but let's not make any bones about it; he had a difficult time at the WICB. He was still acting chief executive when there was the first ever players' strike in regional cricket during the 2003 semi-finals of the Carib Beer International Challenge.

At the very same time he was confirmed in the post, there was the embarrassment of the WICB announcing the appointment of Bennett King as coach subject to completion of contractual negotiations, only for the Australian to later indicate he wouldn't be accepting the job. Over the latter half of his tenure, Brathwaite couldn't escape the public microscope. As the WICB's relationship with the West Indies Players Association (WIPA) deteriorated, fingers were often pointed in his direction.

The circumstances that led to the Digicel contract was another issue in which his name surfaced, but the WICB was quick to come to his defence, strongly "deploring the imputations against the integrity of some of its officials, in particular its immediate past president, the chairman of the marketing committee and the chief executive officer".

In recent weeks, whispers emerged that the top brass of the WICB wasn't fully satisfied that Brathwaite had done enough to cut down on high levels of expenditure. While Brathwaite batted on a sticky wicket for most of the tenure, he appeared to have the skills to cope with the surface when he first sat at his desk on May 17, 2002. He assumed the position of chief marketing officer with all the necessary credentials, bringing a wealth of experience in senior management and global marketing, having worked successfully with the multi-national oil company Shell for 20 years. His last 14 years were spent in the capacity as external affairs manager, a position in which he played a significant role in the development of the Shell Cricket Academy of St George's University in Grenada. He held responsibility for Shell's reputation management in 14 Caribbean territories and also had overseas postings with the company in Switzerland, St Maarten and South Africa.

Against that background and together with his involvement in West Indies cricket at the time, it might not have come as a surprise that he was made head of marketing at the WICB. In less than five months, he had created such a favourable impression that when the WICB fired its then chief executive officer Gregory Shillingford, Brathwaite was asked to act in the position until a successor was appointed.

In the six months that followed, Brathwaite so impressed the board that it appointed him to the post without even advertising the job. With the benefit of hindsight, it might appear it wasn't the best decision. Chetram Singh, a long-standing WICB director, was one who believed Brathwaite's strength was in marketing, a view many others might share based on his background. As the debate continues over Brathwaite's resignation, it might be easy to miss a trend that is developing at the WICB.

For whatever reasons, there have been a host of departures among senior management at the WICB's secretariat in recent years. Throughout that period, presidents have come and gone and directors have changed. In all of it, it is difficult to identify a single denominator. Brathwaite's departure perhaps just reflects the chaos and controversy that have highlighted the administration of West Indies cricket in the past decade.