IT is unbelievable that former Guyana and West Indies cricket captain Clive Lloyd

has failed to get a seconder as a nominee for the presidency of the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB).
One would have thought that Lloyd who led the West Indies cricket team for over a decade as the number one in the world and possesses a formidable knowledge of the game would have been an obvious choice to lead the WICB, but as circumstances dictate he could not even get a seconder.
It is doubtful whether any West Indian can question Lloyd’s commitment to West Indian cricket, because as a cricketer he has given 100% dedication to the game and his leadership ability is unquestionable.
So why did the great man who played 110 Test matches for the West Indies, scoring 7,515 runs at an average of 46.67 with 19 centuries failed to get a seconder?
Lloyd himself felt that the good working relationship between the Guyana Cricket Board and the Anil Bassarath-led Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board (TTCB) would have made things easier for him to secure a seconder, so he could have challenged the incumbent Sir Julian Hunte and Jamaica’s Whycliffe Cameron for the top spot.
But as he noted:“When somebody promises to do something for you and they do not, you will be disappointed and that’s how I am feeling right now, but I have to live on because I told myself we are dealing with human beings who are liable to make mistakes at times.”
Even though terribly disappointed at being out of the WICB presidency, he nevertheless is willing to assist West Indian cricket. “While I am unsure of whether I would contest the presidency again, I am definitely sure and can freely say that I will be around, since I feel I have ideas that can be used to help take our cricket back to the top where it should be, when you take into consideration, the calibre of players we have around now,” he declared.
What is almost a certainty is that there is some kind of conspiracy to keep out Guyanese from the leadership of the WICB regardless of whether they merit it or not.
While almost every cricketing nation is seeking to involve their great players in the managing and administering of the game, we are doing our utmost to exclude our great past players. Therefore, it is not surprising that the standard of cricket in those countries are on the ascent, while ours has been on a continuous descent for a very long time.
When our great Rohan Kanhai was assistant manager/coach of our team and he complained about the indiscipline of some of our players, instead of  disciplinary measures being taken against them Kanhai was virtually forced out.
What has emerged in recent years is that increasingly we are having administrators of the WICB who have little or no knowledge or connections and commitment towards the uplift of the game. They are more interested in securing leadership and administrative positions to enjoy the perks and privileges that go with them.
The appointment of Ottis Gibson as the WI coach demonstrates clearly the hapless administration of the current WICB. No cricket administration which is serious about the development and advancement of cricket would appoint someone such as Gibson as a coach because he himself needs coaching,, therefore what skill, knowledge, inspiration and motivation can he impart on the players.
Another case of the ineptitude of the current WICB is the appointment of Daren Sammy as WI captain. It is probably one of the biggest jokes in international cricket because Sammy does not even merit a place in the WI team, much less to make him captain.
Therefore it is not surprising that the once mighty West Indies team has continuously took a downward slide and now is being ranked only above Bangladesh and Zimbawe.
Considering the sad and unfortunate state of our cricket, one would have thought that Clive Lloyd would have been an automatic choice for the WICB presidency in an effort to restore our cricket to the glory it once enjoyed. But it seems that is not to be and it is likely that our cricket, the pride of the West Indian people, would continue along its slide towards mediocrity.