“I AM not interested in a position, but I would like to be involved not in an advisory capacity, but more as an administrator and once I am, I would like to see things run smoothly.”
Those were the words of former Guyana and West Indies captain Clive Hubert Lloyd who gave an invited comment to the media, following his and West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) president Dr Julian Hunte’s meeting with President Bharrat Jagdeo yesterday afternoon at State House. The meeting which was also attended by Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport Dr Frank Anthony, arose following a decision by President Jagdeo last week Thursday, to form an Interim Management Committee (IMC) which will be headed by Dr Anthony, to oversee the administration of cricket in Guyana.
When asked to comment on the present state of the gentleman’s game in Guyana, along with the formation of the IMC, Lloyd, who celebrates his 67th birthday today, reiterated a statement made by a press release, which said the ‘Government of Guyana does not wish to take over the GCB.”
“They don’t wish to take over the GCB, but rather have a Board that is not fragmented and I am quite happy to say that from the things we discussed with the President just now, things will be better for the future” stated Lloyd who is the chairman the Cricket Committee of the International Cricket Council (ICC) and also a non-member director of the (WICB).
Lloyd, who captained the West Indies between 1974 and 1985 and oversaw their rise to become the dominant Test-playing nation, a position that was only relinquished in the latter half of the 1990s, refused to confirm rumours about an appointment which would see him take up the position of Adviser on Sports in Guyana, saying a statement would be made shortly.
However, he did state that once the GCB can come back with a new system, then persons can see the revival of Guyana’s cricket in the not-too-distant future.
“I think that the occurrence of problems in the administration of sports in Guyana is too predominant and if the GCB can come back and do so with a new system which shows them focusing more on our cricket, then some things can happen as really and truly, our cricket has been going down the drain for quite a while and it is time we take charge and try and rebuild.”
Touching on Guyana’s past which saw cricketers of the calibre of Rohan Kanhai,  Alvin Kallicharran, Roy Fredericks, Lance Gibbs, Joseph Solomon, Basil Butcher and Colin Croft wearing the maroon cap for the West Indies, Lloyd said we need to get back to such a system as quickly as possible.
“We in Guyana have a great past when it comes to West Indies cricket, as we have produced some of the greatest cricketers to ever play the game from these shores and not only did they come from Georgetown, but outside of it such as the rural areas as well.
Really and truly, we need to get back to that system which saw us producing such great players and I hope that when everything is settled, we have a much better Board that will look after all aspects of the game here in Guyana,” said Lloyd who played 110 Test matches for the West Indies.
Some wondered if the on-field performances were caused by the off-the-field drama, an opinion agreed by the former left-handed middle-order batsman who averaged 46.67 with the bat for the West Indies during his Test career.
“You can look at it that way, as when you look at the number of court matters, it would upset the rhythm of what you should have and I think that once everything is sorted out, then we can concentrate on cricket.
We have a lot of good young cricketers in Guyana and we need to get them to concentrate on the game more and not worry about what is taking place off the field of play,” stated Lloyd.