Mr Whycliffe ‘Dave’ Cameron takes the president’s chair at the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) at a most interesting time in the game’s development across the region.

The recent successes of the senior men’s and women’s teams have heightened expectations of better days ahead for the game. Those expectations will no doubt carry over into how the game’s affairs are run by the regional governing body.

Mr Cameron’s predecessor, Dr Julian Hunte, had last month linked the success of the women’s team to the heavy financial investment made by the WICB in the game.

According to Dr Hunte, retainer contracts were implemented for the first time, increased numbers of tours and series were organised, special training and preparatory camps were held, and the long-term services of a head coach with support staff were engaged.

Dr Hunte made the comment after the West Indies women competed aggressively and got to the final of the Women’s World Cup before losing to Australia by 114 runs.

Following that loss, the West Indies women beat hosts Sri Lanka 2-1 in a three-match One-Day International (ODI) series and 4-1 in the Twenty/20 contest.

Just last week, the West Indies men’s team completed a sweep of the two-Test home series against Zimbabwe with a crushing innings and 65-run victory in Dominica.

Last Summer, the men’s team beat New Zealand 2-0 in the Test series and 4-1 in ODIs; and late last year captain Darren Sammy’s men triumphed over Bangladesh in the Test series in that country.

Those results have suggested to us that the long slide of West Indies cricket, as it relates to on-field performances, has ended and the men’s team, we believe, is on an upward curve.

As we have said in this space before, our optimism is rooted in our observance of the depth of genuinely talented bowlers across the region. We reiterate, however, that we have less reason to be upbeat about our batting reserves which, we believe, would improve with better-prepared pitches at all levels.

That issue, we hold, must be one of the most urgent on Mr Cameron’s list of priorities. For the region needs to seize the momentum of this improvement in performance if we are to again become a force in world cricket.

Mr Cameron and his fellow executives will also need to mend fences with the West Indies Players’ Association, which must accept that it, too, has a role in improving the relationship between its members and the board.

Given Mr Cameron’s background, we have no doubt that he will approach the administration of the game as a business, even as his administration ensures that the existing infrastructure for nurturing raw talent is strengthened.

We speak specifically of the Sagicor High Performance Centre in Barbados, which has been key to the development of promising young players now in the senior West Indies team, and for which the WICB must always be commended.

We note, as well, that Mr Cameron plans to empower the territorial cricket boards and hold them accountable. That move, he believes, will widen the talent poll and give administrators wider options for the variety of competitions in which the teams will be involved.

That, and other proposals in Mr Cameron’s manifesto, suggest to us that wants to make a big change in the fortunes of West Indies cricket.

We wish him all the best.