Hilary Beckles
Other works have focused more specifically on Barbadian history, including education, telecommunications, the labour movement, and sporting culture.Two years later, in 1996, he convinced the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) to organise a match between the touring New Zealanders and a team selected by the university's vice-chancellor.The following year, he was named the inaugural winner of the UWI Vice Chancellor's Award for Excellence in the Field of Research.One commentator has accused him of engaging in the "exploitation of the nation's traditional love of education and qualifications", referring to Beckles' role in the university's development as "empire-building";[14] In May 2011, Beckles made a statement suggesting that Chris Gayle was the "don" of West Indian cricket, comparing him to Jamaican drug lord Christopher Coke (otherwise known as "Dudus").[15][16] The West Indies Players' Association (WIPA) subsequently wrote to the WICB and UWI asking for Beckles' dismissal from the board, which did not happen.