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• CWI board should have four ex-cricketers' - former WI captain Lloyd calls for inclusion of ex-players at top level

  West Indies legend Clive Lloyd has pointed to a continued lack of inclusion of former players at the board level of regional cricket as being a significant hindrance to improving the fortunes of the struggling team.

  Though typically the realm of lifelong administrators and businessmen, the cricket boards of the sport’s big three, England, India, and Australia have included former players at the top level of the game’s governance.  Currently, India is the best example with former captain Sourav Ganguly serving as president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India, on a body that also included Brijesh Patel.  The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) recently added former captain Andrew Strauss as a non-voting member but also includes women’s player Lucy Pearson.  For Cricket Australia, Michael Kasprowicz resigned from the board earlier this year but two-time women’s World Cup winner Mel Jones remains a member of the board.

  “The board should have four ex-cricketers.  Knowledgeable, intelligent people who want to take our cricket forward,” Lloyd told the Mason and Guest radio program.

  “When I was at Lancashire on the committee, we had 16 or 17 people on the committee, but we had to have six cricketers, that was enshrined in the constitution because it’s a cricket club.  That’s why cricket is taken care of in England.  All the clubs have the same situation.”

  “We do not have a Test cricketer of note on our board.  If you look at all the other boards, Australia have had four captains on their board.  India have had some of their ex-players on their board.  England, who they have coaching the team, and the ECB have their ex-cricketers…cricketers are involved in the development of the game. (In the West Indies) If you decide to be a part of the board and you are somebody of some standing, they don’t seem to want you because they believe you will overshadow them.”

  The current Cricket West Indies (CWI) body does have Michael Findlay, who played Test cricket for the West Indies between 1969 to 1973 along with Julian Charles and Enoch Lewis who played cricket at the regional level.

   

   

   

   

• Windies legend Lloyd wants better, more 'powerful' WI anthem

  Legendary West Indies captain Clive Lloyd believes the time is right for the regional team to consider a new and more ‘powerful’ anthem.

  Politically, with the West Indies operating as several separate countries, it would not be possible to have a national anthem.  Currently, the song ‘Rally Round the West Indies’ by Calypsonian David Rudder, however, serves that purpose.  The song was released in 1987 – before being officially adopted as the team’s ‘national’ anthem by the then West Indies Cricket Board 12 years later.

  Lloyd, however, believes the song possibly lacks the feel, power, and emotional depth of some of the national anthems of member nations that comprise the regional team.  The former skipper made note of a memorable experience, while on tour of Australia.

  “When I was manager, in Australia they play the anthem from both teams.  The president came to me and said Clyde we would like to play the anthem from your country because you are the manager. I said, ‘No sir you would have to play the anthem of Mr. Walsh, he is the captain,” Lloyd recalled recently, on the Mason and Guest radio program.

  “It was performed by an opera singer.  When they sang the Jamaica national anthem, it has some drums and so on, hair grew on parts of my body that I didn’t think I had hair.  It was so powerful.  There was a guy there that was married to a Jamaican woman and tears came to his eyes. I told Walsh, 'if you do not bowl this Australia side out, after listening to this anthem, something must be wrong with you guys'. It was the most powerful thing,” he added.

  “We have great anthems around the islands.  Let us come together and get one anthem that is powerful.  When you listen to all the other anthems, they make you feel proud, they make you feel like doing extraordinary things.  I think this is the time we should have that and one flag.”

   

• England complete sweep of Windies Women

  In a rain-shortened contest, reduced to five overs per team, West Indies came close but lost to England by three wickets in the fifth and final T20 International.

  Showers all day forced a late start at the Incaro County Ground on Wednesday and the visitors scored a challenging 41 for 3 off their 30 balls faced. Deandra Dottin made 11 off seven balls including a historic six, which was the 100th of her T20I career, she is the first woman to achieve this milestone.

  Fast bowler Shamilia Connell demonstrated superb control in her two overs. She took three wickets – one from a stupendous diving catch by captain Stafanie Taylor at extra cover. The strongly-built fast bowler ended with career-best figures of 3-14 to take home the Player-of-the-Match award. England reached 42-7 off 4.3 overs – to record their fifth win of the series.