By Orin Davidson
His reign as New York cricket Director is about to come full circle.
Selwyn Caesar was given the position to replace his predecessor to arrest incompetence, but nothing has changed, rather things have gotten worse.
New York Region director Selwyn Ceasar.
Pundits feel the man made director by default, is existing on borrowed time and could be sent packing soon via a no-confidence motion – the same process through which he acquired the top post in New York cricket.
An inability to raise money for development, coupled with poor decisions made, that are inimical to the best interest of the game, has characterized a disastrous reign for Caesar who has outraged important members in the Region’s fraternity, in the process.
The New York team managed to win the Eastern Conference title, despite Caesar’s best efforts to derail its campaign in Atlanta Georgia last weekend.
His decision to select a player not eligibly nor accomplished enough to make the team, was Caesar’s latest gaff – an act which could spell the beginning of his end at the top.
The appointed New York selectors, were appalled by Caesar’s decision to change the team without their knowledge after their selections were made.
Fortunately the team’s morale was not dented as a result of the inclusion of Cameron Mirza when other better players were available. It was not apparent as they went on to win the title for the second straight year.
The fact that intense lobbying for the player’s inclusion was rejected by the New York selectors, and also those in New Jersey where he is eligible to represent, and Connecticut, made Caesar’s decision not only indecent, but illegal as it was a gross flouting of the criteria for New York selection.
And insiders claim it is not the first time the director has meddled in decisions outside of his responsibility.
He seems to have a fetish for picking select players and officials, as he did the same with the under-19 team earlier in the summer.
Due to Caesar’s bungling the senior team competed in Atlanta without a coach because he wanted the same person to perform in that capacity for the Under-15, under-19 and senior teams, it is claimed.
The state of the New York Cricket Committee’s finances remain parlous, despite Caesar being given a mandate to correct it.
After more than a year in office, the same people were forced to scrunt around for donations to fund the regional team’s participation in national competitions this year, as has been the case previously, due to the director’s inaction.
Noted physical trainer Victor Benjamin feels Caesar is in the game for personal gain, stating that he has never known any occasion when the latter has made a decision in the interest of cricket, throughout his long association with the game which includes a stint as United States of America Cricket Association (USACA) treasurer.
“He needs to go, New York cricket would be in a much better place without him,” Benjamin declares.
Rudy Persaud, the Eastern American Cricket Association (EACA) league president is also not amused by the actions of the man who appointed him cricket coordinator for the Region.
“He does nothing except change decisions people have already made. He is supposed to find grounds for certain competitions, he is supposed to identify a youth coordinator, and he also does no fund- raising,” Persaud fumed. “ Right now the Inter- League (competition) is stalled up for six weeks because he cannot find a ground. He calls on me to do almost everything he is supposed to be doing. I am supposed to appoint selectors and team officials among things, but often he goes behind my back and changes things up”. It is very frustrating,” Persaud lamented.
If nothing else, Caesar is good at finding money to travel to almost every competition staged around America and Toronto.
Given his penchant for flying, he would do the Region a favor by finding a ticket out of New York’s cricket for good.