Barbados PM Mia Mottley praises CWI Prez Dr Kishore Shallow, says cricket is more than bat, ball

Bridgetown, Barbados: Prime Minister of Barbados – Mia Mottley, has commended Cricket West Indies (CWI) president Dr Kishore Shallow for his necessary, immediate, and transformational interventions to address the inequalities between men and women in cricket.

PM Mottley was delivering the keynote address at the University of the West Indies, Cave Hill Campus, when, through the Faculty of Sport, it held the 22nd Annual Frank Worrell Memorial Lecture.

The Prime Minister of Barbados spoke on the subject, “Cricket Lovely Cricket: It is more than Bat and Ball,” according to the update shared by Cricket360.

Understanding the significance of Caribbean leaders to the development of cricket, it was noted that President Shallow, during his stakeholder engagement prior to assuming office, met with Prime Minister Mottley to garner her perspective on the future of West Indies Cricket, and concerns pertaining to women’s cricket were highlighted.

“When he (Dr Kishore Shallow) met with me, in his tour around the Caribbean, it happened to be International Women’s Day, and I mentioned to him the women had to travel last class even while they’re going far and the men travel business and better, and he looked and he doubted me, but to his credit Cricket West Indies made the change from immediately he got into office and ensured that the women are not discriminated against in the travel arrangements,” said Prime Minister Mottley, reported West Indies Cricket.

With immediate effect, from May 2023, the members of the West Indies Women’s Squad travelled business class for all long-haul international flights and are now accommodated in single rooms for all international assignments, bringing it in line with the policy for the West Indies Senior Men’s Tours.

Dr Shallow and the Board of Directors remain committed to discussing and making significant strides in achieving the other necessary interventions to reduce inequality.

In an effort to do so, the recently introduced Women’s Cricket Transformation Committee has been charged with providing support to this strategic initiative, Cricket360 noted.

Moreover, the launch of the Women’s Academy on Sunday, July 30, at the Coolidge Cricket Ground in Antigua, with the aim of identifying and developing the skillset of our next generation of women, will contribute significantly to this goal.