Weeks after speculation about a pending resignation, Dinanath Ramnarine has quit as president and chief executive officer of the West Indies Players Association (WIPA).
The announcement of the resignation, which takes effect at the end of the month, was made yesterday by WIPA’s board of directors.
Vice-president Wavell Hinds, a long-standing executive member, will act as president until the annual general meeting later this year, while fellow director Michael Hall, cricket operations director of Cricket World Cup 2007 Inc. and a former West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) chief cricket operations officer, will serve as interim chief executive officer.
The 36-year-old Ramnarine, a former Trinidad and Tobago and West Indies leg-spinner, was first elected as WIPA head in 2002 and his tenure was marked by a series of hotly contested battles with the WICB over a number of issues.
Hinds, a former West Indies Test batsman who has been on the WIPA executive for Ramnarine’s entire tenure, yesterday expressed disappointment at the development.
“It is truly a depressing day for West Indian cricket to see Mr Ramnarine depart. We were well advised that this day will come but hoped it would never materialize,” Hinds said.
“We are all saddened by his decision, given his outstanding contribution and great personal sacrifice to WIPA.
“In the face of all adversity, his credibility and integrity, combined with his strong leadership qualities remain some of his strongest and greatest attributes, taking WIPA to great heights.”
WIPA secretary Andrew Richardson said Ramnarine’s resignation came as no surprise since he had always advocated and sought to refresh and reinvigorate the organization with new leadership.
“Mr Ramnarine shared last year that 2012 would be his last year with the organization. He has now completed a perfect decade.
We wish to recognize that he has served meritoriously over those ten years,” Richardson added.
WIPA directors took the opportunity to highlight achievements under Ramnarine, saying he was the was first to push the WICB to enter into a formal collective bargaining agreement for players and negotiated the single largest West Indian cricketer pay increase in history.
The directors also said the organization had now adopted a new constitution which aimed to bring the WIPA more in line with modern practices and the rules and guidelines of similar associations in the international cricketing world while maintaining good governance.
In addition to Hinds, Richardson and Hall, the other remaining WIPA executive members are assistant secretary Samuel Badree, treasurer Ramnaresh Sarwan, along with directors Dave Kissoon and Derik Lattibeaudiere.
