Asked about the suspension of the Super50 and T20 Blaze, player pay cuts and the state of Cricket West Indies’ finances, the CWI president replied with a single line of scripture.
Cricket West Indies president Dr. Kishore Shallow has responded to a Vincypowa News editorial questioning CWI’s finances and its decision to suspend regional tournaments, not with answers, but with a Bible verse.
Vincypowa News published the editorial, Dr. Kishore Shallow, Are You Saving West Indies Cricket or Cutting Away Its Future?, on October 14. Vincypowa News then shared the editorial in a comment on Dr. Shallow’s own Facebook page, inviting him or Cricket West Indies to respond to its questions about CWI’s finances, the suspension of the Super50 and T20 Blaze, and plans for regional development, and offering to consider any reply for publication.
Replying to that comment on his page, Dr. Shallow wrote: “Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest thou also be like unto him.” He attributed the line to Proverbs 26:4.
He did not address any of the questions raised.
The questions Kishore Shallow did not answer
The editorial asked how the CWI leadership prepared for the end of the 2024 T20 World Cup windfall. CWI’s audited accounts show revenue of about US$88.35 million in 2024, falling to US$40.89 million by September 2025, with a comprehensive loss of US$28.53 million. Its cash balance fell from about US$17.47 million to US$1.68 million over the same period.
It also asked why players are carrying much of the burden. Under CWI’s September restructuring, international player retainers are being cut by 25 percent and domestic retainer contracts shortened from 12 months to seven. The men’s Super50 and the women’s T20 Blaze have been suspended for this year.
The editorial further asked what savings are being made at the administrative level, what the review by consulting firm Teneo will cost, and whether Dr. Shallow can lead CWI while also serving as North Leeward MP and a Cabinet minister in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
Vincypowa News also emailed Cricket West Indies with the same questions on October 14. No reply had been received at the time of publication. Vincypowa News has since replied to Dr. Shallow on his page, restating the questions.
The verse Kishore Shallow quoted, and the one that follows it
Proverbs 26:4 is one half of a well-known pair of verses. The very next line, Proverbs 26:5, gives the opposite advice (read both verses): “Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own conceit.” Bible scholars generally read the pair together as a lesson in judging when a reply is worth giving.
By choosing verse 4, Dr. Shallow suggested that the questions did not deserve an answer. The players whose pay has been cut, the young cricketers who have lost a regional season, and the Caribbean public who follow West Indies cricket may judge that differently.
Why his response matters
Dr. Kishore Shallow is not a private citizen. He is the elected head of the body that runs West Indies cricket, and an elected parliamentarian and government minister in St. Vincent and the Grenadines. Questions about how CWI manages its money, and who bears the cost of its cuts, are legitimate matters of public interest across the region.
Vincypowa News stands by its editorial. The invitation remains open. Dr. Shallow or Cricket West Indies may send a response to vincypowanews@gmail.com, and Vincypowa News will publish it in full.
For background, read Shai Hope Stayed When Others Left. Now He Is Carrying West Indies Cricket.
Sources: Dr. Kishore Shallow’s public Facebook page; Cricket West Indies; Proverbs 26:4-5 (KJV). Financial figures as sourced in our October 14 editorial.
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