Lloyd quitting as Windies manager


Stabroek News
December 24, 1999


WELLINGTON, (CANA) - Unable to reap the same success he got as captain, Clive Lloyd is stepping down as manager of the West Indies test and one-day cricket team.

Speaking to his former teammate, pacer Colin Croft in Wellington just days ahead of the second Test against New Zealand, who whipped the Windies by nine wickets in the Hamilton first test, a week ago, Lloyd said the tour will definitely be his last as manager.

"I think I've had enough. I have given my all here to West Indies cricket," Lloyd said to a query as to whether he will be applying to the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) for the post of manager for next year's home series against Zimbabwe and Pakistan.

But Lloyd said that "whoever takes over, won't be taking over a bad team" since management has "worked on a few things".

"We never had a permanent wicketkeeper. We were struggling for openers, we've got that. We are trying to work on our middle order (and) there are one or two good little spinners coming around," said Lloyd.

"Our fast bowlers are there or thereabouts. We still have Courtney Walsh. Really and truly, I don't think it is going to be a terrible team.

"It's just the experience that is needed and the guys are getting the type of exposure here," added Lloyd.

Lloyd's decision comes a day after former Barbados captain and test batsman Carlisle Best called for his removal as manager.

There was also stinging criticism from Dr Rudi Webster, the man who served as performance consultant when the West Indies drew the test series against Australia in the Caribbean earlier this year.

Dr Webster was particularly unhappy with Lloyd's criticism of middle order batsman Shivnarine Chanderpaul, whom Lloyd said should have been playing more competitive cricket after the World Cup.

"Here is a guy who has been through a very serious incident, has probably had no counselling and then gets attacked by the management and we expect him to go out and do well," Dr Webster said this week from his home in Grenada.

Webster also said he was concerned with the open discord within management.

"We have a member of the management group attacking, in a very personal way, the chairman of selectors," Dr Webster said in reference to Lloyd's description of Michael Findlay as "old and crotchety".


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