Clive Lloyd on state of West Indies cricket: 'We must do all we can to revive it'
Clive Lloyd
had been invited to join an emergency summit alongside legends Viv Richards and
Brian Lara
. This comes after West Indies' shocking collapse for just 27 runs against Australia at Sabina Park and a 0-3 series loss at home.
The meeting aims to examine all aspects of West Indian cricket following one of their worst batting performances ever, nearly matching the lowest Test score of 26.
Lloyd quickly accepted the invitation from Cricket West Indies president Dr. Kishore Shallow. He stressed the need for urgent action to fix the team's batting problems in Test matches.
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"We have to examine all aspects of West Indies cricket from grassroots to the international level," Lloyd said.
"Everything must be looked at closely and carefully. West Indies cricket is an institution. It has given so much to the people of this region and we must do all we can to revive it."
"I'm always available to help in any way. How we can marry the ideas we have with what is necessary and have healthy discussion on the way we move forward, that's what I'm thinking. It has been nearly 100 years since we have been playing top-class [Test] cricket and we have to get it right."
The recent series against Australia highlighted major batting concerns. Only Brandon King and Anderson Phillip averaged over 20. King's 75 in Grenada stood out as the highest score from either team.
Lloyd believes West Indies needs more batters who value their wickets. He wants players who can stay at the crease longer, like former player Larry Gomes.
"We need a couple of Larry Gomes, more batsmen like him," Lloyd said.
"We need batsmen who put a heavy price on their wickets and when they get in look to stay in. There is nothing wrong with digging in and 'batting ugly'. We have to find ways of fighting, occupying the crease, and staying in for long periods to wear down the bowlers. We have not been doing that.
"Obviously, the mental side of our game needs to improve. We have to go back to the basics. We have to look at schools' cricket, club cricket, first-class cricket - are we playing enough; we also have to look at the pitches - how are we preparing them and how they are playing."
Head coach Daren Sammy has acknowledged these batting issues. The team tried scoring faster when they struggled to bat long. However, Lloyd and Sammy both point to Caribbean pitch conditions as another problem needing attention.
West Indies have consistently ranked eighth in World Test Championship standings. They face tough upcoming away series in India and New Zealand.
This crisis meeting comes as CWI celebrates 50 years since their 1975 ODI World Cup victory, where Lloyd was captain and scored a match-winning century against Australia in the final.
Catch Rani Rampal's inspiring story on Game On, Episode 4. Watch Here!
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