Clive Lloyd leaves no doubt over where he stands on T20 cricket.

As West Indies were trounced by an innings inside three days in the two Tendulkar farewell Tests in India in November 2013, the former captain commented that they "looked drunk on T20".

Last week, as new chairman of selectors, Lloyd contended that T20 had "messed up West Indies cricket". Playing Tests for West Indies, he said, no longer seemed a paramount goal for players.

There are obvious reasons.

Players can read the certain signs that Test cricket for West Indies is in its last throes, evidenced by the results over the past two decades and in the markedly dwindling attendances. The upshot is that they regard T20 as the game of the future.

For some, if not all, it is also undoubtedly a matter of money and how much of it they can make in the two vastly different versions. For others it is a response to them being pigeonholed as limited-overs specialists by previous selection panels.

Certainly Kieron Pollard, who is yet to be picked for Tests seven years after his first-class debut, has repeatedly pleaded for an opportunity to test himself at that level; now 27, he is unlikely to get it.

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In reply to CaribbeanCricket.com

It is not yet doomed , but getting very close to being doomed . I take no pleasure in stating this .

The WICB MUST CHANGE ITS MODUS OPERANDI .If our Players & Team are to start climbing the ladder to the top of International Cricket in the longer versions of the game .

First , recognition must be realized
that our Players

MUST PLAY MORE MATCHES IN THESE

VERSIONS OF THE GAME AT THE REGIONAL

LEVEL ; WHY ???????????????????????


TO BUILD UP THEIR STAMINA - MENTAL &

PHYSICAL .


TO BUILD UP THEIR ABILITIES TO

CONCENTRATE FOR LONG PERIODS .


TO ENHANCE THEIR ABILITIES TO HAVE

FRUITFUL PARTNERSHIPS AT THE CREASE .


TO ENHANCE THEIR ABILITIES TO PACE

AN INNINGS .

In reply to CaribbeanCricket.com


This should be obvious to all , but
the the Windward Islands Cricket Board , which is the worst Regional Cricket Board in the Region .

It believes that cramming 4 innings in two freaking days in the Windward Islands Tournament ; is helpful to develop the necessary skills I have listed .

Yes , I am fully aware that the people in the governance of Cricket in the Region , and their Lackeys in this Forum will soon be here bleating that they aint have any money . That
in my opinion is a lot of freaking B.S .

I am never ever going to accept that as an excuse ; because I am unaware of ANY RESTRICTIONS THAT PREVENTS THE

WICB & THE REGIONAL BOARDS FROM

RAISING MONEY TO DO WHAT NEEDS TO BE

DONE TO MAKE OUR PLAYERS COMPETITIVE

IN THE LONGER VERSIONS OF THE GAME .


Let me once again reiterate the fact
that

IF WE WANT OUR PLAYERS TO BE THE

BEST IN THE WORLD MONEY HAS TO BE

SPENT TO MAKE THAT HAPPEN .


In this Forum I have always consistently stated the fact that

OUR PLAYERS PLAY LESS CRICKET IN THE

LONGER VERSIONS OF THE GAME THAN

THEIR COUNTERPARTS ON TEAMS RANKED

ABOVE OUR TEAM .


LOOK AT THEIR STATS AND COMPARE THEM

TO THE STATS OF OUR PLAYERS . YOU

WILL FIND THAT THE DIFFERENCE IS

EXCEEDINGLY STARK .


" PRACTISE MAKES PERFECT " IS AN

ADAGE THAT QUICKLY COMES TO MY MIND .

UNFORTUNATELY THIS FACT HAS ESCAPED

THOSE IN THE GOVERNANCE OF CRICKET IN

THIS REGION & THEIR LACKEYS IN THIS

FORUM .

In reply to POINT

do u care to comment on the contracts?

In reply to doosra

If you want me to make a comment on Contracts you need be more explicit &
precise regarding what you have stated .

In reply to POINT

if you examine the 12 men offered, you would notice only 50% or so are guaranteed test spots.

there;s no money for the upcoming players like blackwood etc

are we truly caring about test cricket enough?

In reply to doosra

Perhaps you did not read where I stated , that to my knowledge , there is no impediments that prevents the WICB from seeking Sponsors to do what must be done , to make our Players more competitive in the longer versions of the game .

I would like to known what obstacles are preventing those in the governance of Cricket in the Region , from making our Players fully competitive in the longer versions of the game .

Let me cite another adage :

" TO MAKE MONEY , YOU HAVE

TO SPEND MONEY ".

Lost on many in the Region is the
fact that the better our Team becomes , the more money the WICB can make , with more people looking at the matches .

BTW , the Region will also benefit
with more Tourists coming to the Region . Sadly all this is lost on those whose only concerns are staying in Power , and ensuring that their power is never ever diluted .

Nothing else matters to this Lot , not even if our Players have to be only playing against Holland ; Argentina ; Ireland ; the USA & Canada .

Imagine , just Imagine ; a Task Force chosen by the WICB had to tell the
Emperors that the Players must get
their Contracts in a Timely manner .

This speaks volumes about the WICB &
the International Cricket Cabal , that is complicit in allowing the WICB to become a Rogue Cricket Board .

The reason West Indies cricket is doomed: The ineptitude of the WICB administrators.

"Certainly Kieron Pollard, who is yet to be picked for Tests seven years after his first-class debut, has repeatedly pleaded for an opportunity to test himself at that level; now 27, he is unlikely to get it."

How is he going to get picked if he doesn't play four-day cricket for Trinidad? Cozier started the article well, showing the declining interest in Test cricket, but doesn't carry it to its logical conclusion...which is that a growing number of Caribbean cricketers are more interested in T20 cricket than in Test cricket.

In reply to CaribbeanCricket.com

If one can believe that West Indies Test cricket is doomed, it is ironic that Clive Lloyd, the same man who led one of their most remarkable revivals to unprecedented, iconic, global eminence decades ago, should now preside over their demise.

In reply to Verstehen
Clive Lloyd is way past his "sell by" date. Those here who live in the past of the Lloyd led glory years will learn.
Like many here he lives in the past and has not come to grips with the fact that this is a new world. Any one who can say that T20 cricket has damaged cricket/test cricket is blind and a dunce. If the last few test matches are anything to judge from, it is just the opposite. The skills learnt at the T20 level may save test cricket. Look at the batting and mindset of Kohli, De Villiers, Smith and you see that boring test cricket has received a major boost.

In reply to Verstehen

Even though Lloyd knows it is sinking, he is committed to saving it. Would you not at least try to save a sinking ship and its passenger?

In reply to BerksOwl

Welcome to this Forum , and I agree with what you have written . Please understand that in this Forum , those
in the governance of Cricket in the Region have a lot of Supporters , who are like Pavlov Dogs . They agree with
everything those in the governance of Cricket does .

In reply to POINT

Good Points BUT ---Do these players WANT to play Test Cricket? please note 5 days straight is hardwork!
They are ALLERGIC to that!

In reply to POINT

Correction Sir---PERFECT Practice makes perfect!

In reply to POINT

TEST CRICKET IS OVER
No one has the time that the idle plantation owners and the elite had to spend 5, 6 and 7 days playing one BORING game called Test Cricket. Way back in the early 20th century, Test Cricket was considered a Boring Game. The stadiums are not full when Test Cricket is played. It is time to retire TEST CRICKET and put it in a Museum somewhere.

In reply to moneybrain

Are you saying that PRACTICE makes PERFECT

In reply to casiba

Test Cricket is the only form of the game where a sort of comparison can be made between current Players , and those of yesteryear . There is also a
sort of unbreakable linkage .

England love & cherish their traditions , If you go there they can point out all the places the Romans lived .

With that in mind the contest between
England & Australia for the mythical " ASHES " is not ever going to Die .

The other versions of the game are going to keep Test Matches alive forever . It is the only version of the game that pushes Players abilities in ALL ASPECTS of the game
to the limit .

STAMINA - Mental & Physical is Tested

CONCENTRATION - In Batting ; Bowling
Fielding & Catching
is Tested .


My take is that Test Matches are akin to Marathons . ODI Matches are akin to the 1500 meters ; and Twenty /20
Matches are akin to the 400 Meters .

Now in the Olympics , all these Races
exists together . That is how in Cricket , there will be Test Matches
& Twenty / 20 Matches .

Test Matches are going to be fuelled by the Money made from the shorter versions of the game ,which are enormously popular . Unfortunately they have no linkage to the days of
King Charlie ; Charles Ollivierre who was born in St. Vincent , and was on the First West Indies Team to Tour
England .

He played for Derbyshire , and was called King Charlie by the people of Derbyshire for his feats in both Batting & Bowling .