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| Clive Lloyd |
Johannesburg: An absolute legend, Clive Lloyd is today chairman of the International Cricket Council (ICC)’s Cricket Committee. He’s also part of the West Indies Cricket Board.
On Monday afternoon, during the Champions Trophy final, Lloyd spoke to The Telegraph in neighbouring Centurion.
The following are excerpts
Q Champions Trophy 2009 was supposed to be a test case for the 50-over game... Your thoughts?
A The ODIs remain an exciting form... I don’t see any reason for much of a change (in the 50-over format)... We’ve got three forms and, I believe, there’s space for all of them. I don’t think there’s a problem with the ODIs... Having said that, it’s up to the powers-that-be to actually take a call.
So, did this edition of the Champions Trophy help the cause of the 50-over game?
I think so... The only thing is that the tournament was held at a time when the weather was a bit dicey and that spiced up some of the wickets... But, then, we still got to see some good cricket... (After a pause) Don’t forget that many of the teams were hit by injuries, either before arriving in South Africa or after landing... Australia, England, India, New Zealand.. A lot of first-choice players, some very big names, had to miss out.
Who would you pick as the top performers?
(Grins) Ooh... Quite a few... Ricky Ponting and Peter Siddle from Australia, New Zealand’s Daniel Vettori... I found Pakistan’s left-arm quick (Mohammed) Aamer very impressive... He always looked a handful... Kemar Roach and Gavin Tonge from the West Indies... I just hope I haven’t missed anybody...
What will you remember this Champions Trophy for?
The way some of the cricketers approached the middle overs during challenging periods... For example, New Zealand in the semi-final against Pakistan.
But many find the middle overs boring... That there’s no fizz...
I don’t think they were boring in this Champions Trophy... The Cricket Committee could look into it, but I’m quite happy.
What about each team having two innings of 25 overs?
It will have to be discussed... Things will be discussed intelligently.
Aren’t we going overboard with T20 cricket? After all, the ICC has scheduled two World T20 meets within a year...
We’ve got to look at all things, see that the three forms are well positioned... We have to preserve all the forms and, if there are problems, look into those issues.
How do you operate as the Committee chairman?
(Grins) I listen to people... Listen to players both past and present... I listen to the views of commentators, for that’s the way I am... I’m not a hard and fast type of a person... I listen to my Committee, which has such qualified people (including Ravi Shastri)... The idea is to make the game as interesting as possible.
Today, what’s the biggest challenge for the Committee?
Getting a happy balance between the three forms...
Would you favour four-day Test matches and Tests under floodlights?
It has to be discussed... Let me put it this way, Test cricket is an examination, while T20 is an exhibition... The ODIs, too, entertain... The difference being a team can recover from early setbacks, which isn’t possible in T20... If you can recover, then it does make for interesting viewing.
Lastly, you must be very disappointed that, because of a dispute over contracts, the top players haven’t been turning out for the West Indies...
Of course, it’s disappointing... I’m hoping better sense will prevail. That the bigger picture will be seen.
