West Indies cricket icon Sir Clive Lloyd has welcomed the news that Guyana President Dr. Irfaan Ali has been named the new chairman of the CARICOM Sub-committee on Cricket.

The outgoing chairman, Trinidad’s Prime Minister, Dr. Keith Rowley, announced during the final day of the 48th CARICOM Heads of Government meeting in Barbados.

Dr. Rowley revealed it would be his final CARICOM meeting and handed the baton to Dr. Ali.

“This is the end of my tenure as Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, and my last meeting at CARICOM, I handed over to the plenary selected, or agreed to select, my colleague from Guyana, who is an eminent cricketer, as you know, President Dr. Irfaan Ali to now take the chairmanship of the sub-committee on cricket,” Dr. Rowley said.

Sir Clive rousingly endorsed Dr. Ali and said he expects his fellow countryman to serve well in the pivotal position.

He added that, given Ali’s immense passion for cricket and his desire to see growth, development, and unity among the West Indies nations, this augurs well.

“I welcome the appointment of Dr. Ali to this very crucial and strategic post in our cricket. He is one of the leaders around the region who has demonstrated his love for cricket and a true understanding of what is required to move the game forward,” Sir Clive said.

“I want to urge him to pay great attention to the grassroots and pathway programs around the region as we aim to rebuild and become a force in world cricket once more. This is a pivotal juncture in the history of our cricket with talk in certain circles about a two-tier Test system and other elements which could be deemed challenges to the game in the West Indies.”

“We are a unique part of the cricket world and we hold a special place in the cricket world.

We have to re-establish ourselves as a major player and a force in the game. One urgent area to address is development, with programs and projects starting at the grassroots and pathways… I would like to see CARICOM focus on the clubs and schools across the region.”