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Reverend Wes Hall has been endorsed by a former West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) president as the ideal candidate to head the regional cricket body.

This is a very important, difficult time in West Indies cricket and I believe the time has come to put in place as president someone of international standing who has a cricket background, Captain Peter Short told NATIONSPORT yesterday.

We need someone who is trained in human and personnel relations and whose integrity is beyond reproach.

From where I sit, I see Reverend Wes Hall as being that person.

Hall, a former fearsome West Indies fast bowler, has been a distinguished personality since his playing days.

The 63-year-old previously served as West Indies team manager and chairman of selectors and was also a member of Barbados Cabinet between 1986 and 1994.

Short's comments were made against the background that the two top WICB posts were made vacant following the resignations of president Pat Rousseau and vice-president Clarvis Joseph.

WICB directors met at the Savannah Hotel last night to start the process to elect replacements, but it is expected that the new top brass will not be elected until next month.

Short, who served as WICB president between 1993 and 1996 before Rousseau took over, said it was important that whoever was elected as president and vice-president would be given full support by the board and the West Indies public.

As a deputy, I would like to think that the board would appoint someone from their own ranks who is familiar with the present and up- to-date modus operandi of the board, Short said.

To this end, he recommended Richard deSouza, one of three remaining members on the WICB executive.

The 53-year-old deSouza, a former Trinidad and Tobago batsman, is the treasurer of the Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board of Control (TTCBC) and the managing director of a large ice cream plant.

He has shown over the years by his dedicated work on the WICB and his work for the TTCBC that he has the qualities, Short said.

He is also a man of high integrity and is not afraid to speak up and stand up and be counted. I think he will be an admirable deputy to Wes.

On the issue of the resignations of Rousseau and Joseph, Short said once the board voiced their strong disapproval over how team manager Ricky Skerritt was sacked, the pair was left with no option but to call it quits.

I had heard a whisper that the board seemed determined to bring back Skerritt as manager and were very unhappy with the procedure as employed by the then president and vice-president, Short said.

© The Barbados Nation