– Clive Lloyd to Demerara-based national players
FORMER Guyana and West Indies captain Clive Lloyd has urged the Demerara-based players of the Guyana national cricket team to put a price on their wicket, during a pep talk yesterday , prior to their departure for Berbice where they will be encamped with the Ancient County players at the Georgetown Cricket Club ground. “When you go out there, only you can get yourself out and once you get in, put a price on your wicket. You should not be looking to make a century off 30 to 45 deliveries. While that would be a great achievement, it also means you may cost your team a valuable wicket, especially if you are an opening batsman.
That’s a position that calls for more patience, as an opening batsman’s duty is to see the shine off the new ball and if you are there for an hour, you would have seen a few of their bowlers, while being there for two hours or more gives you the opportunity to see all their bowlers, hence nothing should faze you,” said Lloyd.
The 65-year-old Lloyd who averaged 46.67 from 110 Test matches with 19 centuries, took the time to regale the players as well as chairman of selectors Claude Raphael and coach Ravindranauth Seeram.
“Back in those days, we worked out strategies for our bowlers and batsmen, as well as the opposition, even deciding who fields where and who bowls to whom, with Andy Roberts, who possessed a great memory, using such to a great advantage especially on the field,” Lloyd stated.
“I also had a chat with New Zealand’s great fast bowler Sir Richard Hadlee who took 434 wickets in his Test career and he said to me he does not mind being struck for a four by a batsman as long as he got his wicket at the end of the day.
Now he may go for 50 to 60 runs, but the end result is the damage he has done with the ball, taking four or even five wickets for the team.”
Lloyd called for a video analyst to be with the team, producing videos of the players in net sessions as well as in the game, which they can have a look back at as a team, identifying faults, strengths and weaknesses, even saying that it would be a tremendous boost to the team’s morale.
Lloyd reminded the players of how tough it was to make the West Indies team back in the days, even comparing a century in a Regional four-day match, to that of 30 runs in a Test match, stating bowlers of today would not give the opposing batsmen, deliveries to drive.
“Back then, you had to tough it out, which means you had to be concentrating harder and when you get a hundred at the lower level, it was compared to 30 or even 40 in a Test match, hence you had to be patient to carry on to three figures in a Test match.
Aerial shots were rare, as batsmen played the ball more on the ground which served them better, as they would not get out. Playing a shot in the air was not bad, but it must be played where no one is stationed,” said Lloyd.
The former pugnacious left-handed batsman enquired from the players their aims while playing the sport of cricket, and called on them to make use of their time as national players, especially those who are in their 20s.
“This is the time when you should be knocking on the doors of West Indies cricket, but your return does not encourage the selectors to give you that shot.
You need to buckle down and ask yourself what is it you want from the game as you are aware, there is a life you have to live after you finish playing.”
He called for a turnaround in fortunes with the team, commencing with the upcoming game against Barbados, even challenging those in authority to select a balanced team for that encounter, as he believes a balanced team is an important one.
“Every cricket team should be a balanced one, where every player complements each other’s game one way or the other, hence the importance of a balanced team, and beginning with this game against Barbados, I would like to see a balanced team taking on the opposition.
Your openers must be complemented by the number three batsman, who to my mind is either your best player or one of the better players in the team, as the number three position is an important one on any cricket team,” Lloyd stated.
He was not hesitant to express his disgust at some cricketers around the world today who get lots of reimbursement for plying their trade, but turn in mediocre performances, while lashing out at the phrase ‘nervous 90s’, with regard to a batsman who is approaching his century cautiously.
“I am not mad at a player who makes $9M annually from playing cricket, as that is his job. But what irritates me, is to see these same players who get these huge sums, put in mediocre performances and at the end of the day, are being rewarded for it.
I view this phrase used by commentators and even cricket writers ‘nervous 90s’ as crap. In order for a batsman to reach the 90s, he would have had to be there for over three hours; hence he would have already passed through the nervous stages, early in his innings.
What is wrong if a man, who is known to belt the ball around the park, decides to nudge it around for ones and twos to get to his century? That for me is sensible cricket and it is obvious, once you are playing a match, irrespective of whichever stage your innings is at, you will get a few deliveries beating the bat, as the bowlers are trying to prise out your wicket; it is up to you, if you want to give it away cheaply.”
He promised to take some time to view at least one day’s play in the upcoming encounter and urged the Guyanese who are languishing at the bottom of the points table on seven points from their three matches, to turn things around from this game.