Cricket West Indies has moved to counter criticism of its latest financial report, with President Dr Kishore Shallow rejecting claims that the document lacks substance.
In a pointed response issued following recent public commentary, Shallow challenged both the basis and credibility of the critique, positioning the issue as one of incomplete analysis rather than shortcomings in the report itself.
“One of the things I don’t quite appreciate and have a very low tolerance for is when people with a fair reputation in other areas come and want to make comments as loosely as Mr Browne did. The gentleman goes in the media and speaks with authority, or so he feels, on a matter and he didn’t even do research. He did not even go to the website and see that there are the audited statements there,” Shallow said in an official statement.
Criticism rooted in financial interpretation
The comments from CWI leadership were prompted by criticism from economist and chartered accountant Mariano Browne, who questioned both the depth and clarity of the financial disclosures during a media appearance toward the end of March.
“As a comprehensive report on the state of West Indies cricket it would get zero. On the basis of a financial statement to give me an insight, it would get a minus. In terms of a PR document, it will get a plus, because it’s PR,” Browne said while speaking during an interview on iSports on i95.5 FM.
His assessment centred on concerns around transparency and the level of detail provided in the report, particularly in relation to how financial performance is broken down across operations.
Leadership pushes back on transparency concerns
The response from CWI’s leadership centres on the argument that the information being questioned is already publicly available, and that any perceived gaps stem from a failure to engage with the full set of disclosures.
Chief Executive Officer Chris Dehring reinforced that position, emphasising the inherent limitations of annual reporting formats when assessing complex sporting operations.
“You can’t look on one single annual report and hope to capture all of the detail and work and documents that support that,” Dehring said in an official statement.
He further underlined that the report was designed to provide a structured overview rather than an exhaustive breakdown of every financial component.
“It’s a very solid report that contains an incredible amount of information about all the activities of Cricket West Indies,” he added.
Expanding on that point, Dehring explained that annual reports are intended to distill a wide range of operations into a coherent public-facing document.
“When you are making a public document, you’re basically capturing elements from a body of work that has taken place across 12 months and trying to give you a flavour of what has taken place.”
Focus shifts back accountability
With both sides firmly in their positions, the debate is likely to continue around transparency, accountability, and communication within West Indies cricket.
