St John's [Antigua], August 12 : Former West Indies (WI) captain Clive Lloyd expressed his apprehensions about a possible, much-debated two-tier system for the ICC World Test Championship (WTC), saying that the team is "just two years out of being in that group for 100 years".
If the two-tier WTC system comes in place in future, it is a possibility that WI cricket administrators are wary of and are hoping to have a say in it, as Cricket West Indies (CWI) chief executive Chris Dehring put it.
"All of that we have a role to play in, we have a seat at the table at the ICC," Dehring said during the presser as quoted by ESPNCricinfo, organised after CWI's emergency meeting involving the team's legends over the years. This meeting took place in the aftermath of WI being skittled out for 27 runs, the second-lowest Test total ever, during the third Test against Australia last month.
"We have to just stay abreast as close as possible to all the changes that could happen, position ourselves, hedging our bets so to speak, to make sure we are in there as West Indies cricket, no matter which way the wind blows and try to take advantage of it," he added.
Last month, the International Cricket Council (ICC) formed a working group, led by former New Zealand cricketer Roger Twose, to look into, among many things, improving the WTC ahead of the 2025-27 cycle. A two-tier system for the same was discussed significantly during the body's annual conference in July. Twose, the New Zealand Cricket (NZC) representative on the ICC Board, is expected to make recommendations to the board.
The debate about a two-tier WTC has been around even before the WTC was a proper league-based tournament with a title clash. This topic has proven to be a divisive one among Full Members of the ICC who enjoy the privilege of playing Tests.
In all WTC campaigns so far, WI finished at eighth out of nine teams, having notched just 10 wins across these three editions in 39 Tests, losing 23 and drawing six.
Llyod, invited to the meeting along with the legends from yesteryears like Brian Lara, Viv Richards and others, pointed his finger at the share of ICC money that member boards are given. He said that WI deserves consideration financially despite their falling standards over the years, given their status as a top team from the 1970s to the 1980s and an extremely competitive unit in the 1990s and 2000s.
"We have to look at what is happening at the ICC with the shareout of the money. India, Australia and England get 180 million and West Indies will get 80 million like Bangladesh and Afghanistan, and we are just two years out of being in that group for 100 years," Lloyd said.
"To me, it is not right. We have to stand up. We have to go to the ICC and ask for special dispensation. Because when we were in the ascendancy, and we were playing so well, everyone wanted to play with us."
"We were playing Australia very often, with England very often, and when we went to Pakistan or India, getting millions of people [to the grounds]. We need to get a better share of the pie, because we were the cash cows for a long time. And we need to get some of that. I am hoping the board follows up on that recommendation where we can be adequately given the money that is needed," he concluded.
Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor
