ST. JOHN’S, Antigua – The West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) is in the process of building stronger relationships with all stakeholders as it looks to improve the game throughout the region in 2008 and beyond.

Dr. Donald Peters, Chief Executive Officer of the WICB, has outlined that one of the major projects is the 1928 to 2008 campaign, to celebrate the rich history of the West Indies in Test cricket.

The West Indies played their first official Test Match against England at Lord’s in 1928.

“One of the good things about the legacy of West Indies Cricket, is that is precisely the reason why we are still among the top teams in the world. We are number eight in the ICC world rankings, but people still want to play against us. What we have to do now is use cricket as a heritage sport of the Caribbean as there are a lot of aspects involved in cricket. It is not just a game anymore – it’s far more than that,” Dr. Peters noted.

“We have several plans to mark this wonderful landmark in West Indies Cricket of 80 years. Cricket is one force that has brought us together as a region. It is remarkable and still unifies us. We at WICB plan to do everything to keep people of the region close and further the unity of West Indian people.”

The first aspect of the 80th anniversary celebration was the launch of merchandise, which was unveiled ahead of the ongoing Digicel Test Match Series between West Indies and Sri Lanka and will be available across the region.

“This is a landmark for the West Indies Cricket Board to be around for 80 years. Cricket has been alive and well and this year we will take special time to recognize our history. We have put together a merchandise campaign to celebrate the occasion,” Dr Peters said.

“For a small region to be around in cricket for 80 years and to have dominated world cricket for 15 of those 80 years is certainly a landmark. I would urge persons to get some of the items and celebrate the rich history of West Indies cricket.”.