The longstanding CEO of Cricket West Indies (CWI), Johnny Graves, has left the company. “It’s the right time for someone new with fresh energy to lead the organisation and continue this important work and build on the strong foundations that are now in place,” he stated. By the end of October, he will depart from the CWI.
CWI said that in order to choose the next CEO, a thorough hiring procedure would be launched. “I wished I would have been able to help CWI make more progress on Governance Reform and implementing the recommendations from the Wehby Report, made more progress at the ICC level with a more equitable model for International Cricket and done more to bring in new revenue to CWI specifically for grassroots cricket which is so important for the long-term health of the sport in the West Indies,” Grave, 48, who has been in the role since February 2017, stated to Cricbuzz.
Throughout his seven-year term, he greatly improved the board’s relationship with the players. He recently helped to arrange an MOU that ensures players would have defined periods for the CPL and IPL competitions between the CWI and the West Indies Players Association (WIPA). The deal also guarantees salary equity for women’s and men’s players by 2027.
Three ICC world championships were successfully held at CWI under his direction: the most recent Men’s T20 World Cup, the U-19 Men’s Cricket World Cup in 2022, and the Women’s World T20 World Cup in 2018. He had a highly acclaimed part throughout the difficult COVID-19 epidemic. He developed the biosecure cricket concept in partnership with the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), opening the door for the West Indies, Bangladesh, New Zealand, and England to resume playing international cricket.
Additionally, he played a key role in forging a strong alliance between the CWI, the CPL, and the franchises. “Johnny’s efforts have left a lasting impression on CWI, especially during trying times like the COVID-19 epidemic and his successful staging of three World Cups. During his leadership, the organization has made a lot of progress. The purchase and complete ownership of the Coolidge Cricket Ground (CCG), which serves as both the organization’s headquarters and the location of its men’s and women’s academies, is a noteworthy accomplishment, according to CWI president Dr. Kishore Shallow.
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