London: Clive Hubert Lloyd, a legend by any yardstick, spoke to The Telegraph at The Oval on Sunday afternoon.

Now 72, Lloyd captained the West Indies during their best days and was himself an outstanding batsman.

Lloyd has shifted base here, though he often goes to Manchester. A radio network is keeping him busy in the ongoing Champions Trophy.

Excerpts...

Q Having captained the West Indies to two World Cup triumphs, it must be painful not watching the West Indies play in the Champions Trophy?

A It's very disappointing... The people running cricket in the West Indies should have known that we needed to play more ODIs in order to have a chance of moving up the ladder before the cut-off was enforced. By the time that realisation came, it was too late.

Shouldn't people in the Board be held accountable?

Somebody should, of course. This embarrassment would have been avoided. I understand Bangladesh and Sri Lanka were approached for ODI series, but they reportedly said they'd play after the cut-off for the Champions Trophy. Both are ranked higher and a defeat at the hands of the West Indies would have affected their ranking and qualification. The West Indies Board didn't do any homework.

The impasse over the participation of the Chris Gayles continues...

There should be a regular dialogue between the Board and the players and there could be flexibility with regard to who is eligible for selection. Right now, if you're not playing the domestic 50-over tournament, then you cannot be picked for the ODIs. Maybe, there's a case for relaxing the eligibility criteria.

You've talked about a dialogue, but the Board and the players have been talking to each other...

Don't know if the right people are talking to each other. Don't know who is talking to whom... The fear now is that the West Indies may not qualify for the next World Cup. Clearly, issues have to be resolved.

Should the ongoing Champions Trophy have been a 10-team affair?

Why not? What's the harm? In fact, I feel the International Cricket Council should make provision for a wild card for former champions. Had that been in vogue, the West Indies would have been here by virtue of having won the Champions Trophy in 2004. That would also have allowed another team, the top-ranked Associate possibly, to play.

The wild card bit is interesting... As also your pitching for the top-ranked Associate...

I've suggested introducing a wild card because I strongly believe any team which has won a global competition should feature in its editions. As for the Associates, they need encouragement. Look at where Bangladesh are today... The other day, in knocking out New Zealand, they again showed their cricketers are intelligent.

Your take on the Champions Trophy in general?

Look at the crowd at The Oval... If the tournament wasn't popular, would people still be flocking to it? I don't know why there's talk that the Champions Trophy should be scrapped.

Some questions on you... Despite winning three World tournaments in a matter of months, the U-19 World Cup, the women's World T20 and the men's World T20, you were removed as chairman of the selection committee. What happened?

Don't know what happened... The Board said they didn't want me as the chairman but an ambassador... Having won three World Cups in succession I'd thought my committee and I were doing a good job, but no... Don't know how many chairmen of selection committees anywhere have done that. In the West Indies, one selection committee is responsible for picking all the teams... I thought I'd done enough to be the Prime Minister (of native Guyana)!

Surely, the Board ought to have treated you better...

The way I was treated amounted to a kind of disrespect. As my Test debut was in 1966-67, I've completed 50 years of association with West Indies cricket... There are better ways of doing things, especially when somebody has done a lot.

Disrespectful, yes, but this can't be the end of your connection with West Indies cricket...

Don't know... I don't like the way they treat people there... I can't accept disrespect... Don't know how to handle it.

One more... Any advice for Cricket West Indies, as the West Indies Cricket Board is now known?

The Board needs to have cricketers on board. At Lancashire, for example, it's enshrined that seven former cricketers must be on the committee. My view is that former cricketers can best deal with the present ones.