West Indies will be stuck in the 2nd tier of the World Test Championship if the ICC decides to start a 2-tier system, warned legendary Clive Lloyd on Tuesday, August 12. The West Indies Cricket Board held an emergency meeting in the aftermath of their whitewash against the Australian cricket team.
West Indies fell to their lowest-ever innings total in Test cricket, just 27 runs against Australia. The series rang alarm bells amongst the former players given the hosts’ multitude of issues in the red-ball format.
The Windies are currently 8th in the ICC Test rankings, and if a two-tier system is implemented, they will not be able to play the top four sides – Australia, South Africa, England, and India.
World Cup-winning captain Clive Lloyd has warned the country that if the two-tier system is indeed implemented, then the Windies might get stuck in the lower tier for 100 years.
Lloyd also argued that the board should stand up to the ICC and demand a bigger share of money.
“We have to look at what’s happening at the ICC with the share-out 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 was quoted by ESPNcricinfo.
“To me, it’s 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,” he added.
West Indies were the star attractions in the 70s and 80s, with their exceptional fast bowling attack. However, that slowly faded away with time, and the board struggled to retain its cricketers due to differences between the administration and the players.
“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 on the matter.
After their whitewash against Australia, West Indies lost to Pakistan in the T20I series. But they c .Shai Hope scored a hundred, and then Jayden Seales took 6 wickets to wreck the Pakistan batting line-up.