April 19, 2008 -- The President of the West Indies Cricket Board, the Honourable Dr.
Julian R. Hunte, is now in Bangalore, India, attending the Opening
Ceremony of the Indian Premier League (IPL) as a guest of the Board of
Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). He is accompanied by the
Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Board, Dr. Donald Peters. Dr.
Hunte has already attended an informal ICC Board Meeting together with
a meeting between the ICC and the IPL.
He and Dr. Peters will
meet with the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) in London early
next week. They will also discuss with the BCCI joint projects and
other areas of mutual cooperation and benefit.
Before leaving
for India, Dr. Hunte thanked the West Indian public for their support
of the West Indies team during the just concluded Sri Lanka Tour. "I
was heartened by the response. There is indeed a resurgence, not only
in the performance of the team, but in the way the fans have
responded. I was particularly impressed by the turnout in St Lucia
where even though the series had already been decided in favour of the
West Indies, there were still thousands who came out to see the final
game."
The WICB President also said that considerable praise
must go to the Territorial Boards of Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago, and
the Windward Islands, especially the St Lucia Board, for their
organization of the games and the main sponsor, Digicel, as well as the
other sponsors for their support.
Dr. Hunte was optimistic
about the future success of the Team which drew the Test and won the
ODI tournaments against Sri Lanka. "It was the best way we could build
on our creditable performances in South Africa. There is a new spirit
in the West Indies team and it is evident to all. We are proud of
their performance and we now look forward to the Australia tour with
confidence."
The First Test Match against Australia starts on May 22, 2008 in Jamaica.