Board bringing player relations officer

WEST INDIES CRICKET BOARD CEO, Dr Ernest Hilaire, says his board is wary of the threat of corruption in cricket and is committed to ensuring that regional players and tournaments are kept free of match-fixing or spot-fixing.Hilaire revealed that next month, the WICB would add a player relations officer to its staff to help towards that end.“The person will be responsible for liaising with the players on matters relating to anti-doping, anti-corruption activities as well as other player development issues,” he said last Friday.“From October, we will start a very intensive programme of educating regional cricketers on those matters because we want to ensure that our players are sufficiently briefed on those matters,” he added.Hilaire also said that there would be increased vigilance during regional tournaments, starting with next January’s Twenty20 tournament. “Come the next Twenty20 tournament, we will intensify our efforts to ensure that there is absolutely no chance of any corruption of cricket in the West Indies,” he said.“Once a sport is televised, it increases the possibility for betting and therefore increases the chances for people to want to get involved and therefore we need to take action.”Hilaire said that the recent English Press allegations about some Pakistan cricketers being involved in fixing certain aspects of matches would not affect the WICB’s rapport with the Pakistan Cricket Board or next year’s scheduled tour of the Caribbean.  (CC)