Guyana and West Indies legend Clive Lloyd intends to draw on all his strengths to ensure Caribbean cricket becomes the beacon of pride it once was, if he is elected president of the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) next month.
In a three-page manifesto, Lloyd, 68, illustrated his thoughts on what he believes is a winning formula for West Indies cricket, administratively and on the field, to rise from the ashes after two decades of continuous decline, considering the overwhelming success for 15 straight years under his stewardship as captain of the Caribbean side in the 1980s.
“My vision for West Indies cricket is to take our cricket out of the doldrums and to put us back at the top. To use my expertise, knowledge of and passion for the game, my credibility, integrity and international professional standing and every moral fibre within to reverse the fortunes of our WI cricket. Central to the accomplishment of this is the building of a strong team to administer and manage the human, financial and technical resources to ensure the efficient realisation of personal and organisational goals,” Lloyd explained.
Lloyd, known as the ‘Super Cat’ in his heyday, believes that if his vision is to become a reality, the WICB has to conform to 21st-century management principles of accountability and transparency, guided by long-term strategic planning and transformation.
These factors will, according to Lloyd, (i) “Restore our image and brand; (ii) Value our product (the West Indies cricket team) and our customers (the people of the West Indies); (iii) Recognize that our competitor is not WI team but the countries we play against; (iv) Embrace our uniqueness and diversity of being 14 countries but one people (the West Indies); (v) Put ACES in their PLACES; (vi) Provide transparency and accountability to our stakeholders – the people of the West Indies; (vii) Transform from the top to bottom, to the players on and off the fields and ignites the heart and soul of every West Indian and to become the heartbeat of our nations.
Action Plan
Considered one of the game’s most successful captains, Lloyd said the WICB, going forward should he get the nod of the territorial boards, must be run like a “small version” of Fortune 100 company. Therefore, transparency and accountability should be of paramount importance.
Additionally, the board would facilitate comprehensive review of “what is working and what’s not” and seek to implement same, making specific reference to the Patterson Report of 2007.
On the other hand, the 1300-word document alluded to the fact that the incessant wrangling between the WICB and West Indies Players’ Association (WIPA) has to stop so that that the focus should be on winning.
Further, Lloyd opined that leadership and motivation should be top-down process.
“I intend to lead by example,” involving “past players from my era who know what success looks like to work with the current players… within their country to restore discipline, respect, dedication, application, drive and tenacity, pride, passion, and a desire to win,” Lloyd ruminated.
These players will also be used as talent spotters, according to the manifesto.
Commenting on a structure to ensure success, Lloyd, former Chairman of ICC Cricket Committee, said he had the privilege of hearing firsthand what other countries did to gain the competitive advantage, citing that in the past competing countries looked to the Caribbean for answers to their cricketing problems.
“Once upon a time, under my leadership as captain of the West Indies cricket team, other countries looked to us for the winning formula. Today we need to review and put in place [a] structure that is innovative and provide continuous improvement as the game of cricket evolves.
We must build in every WI country a training academy that will keep churning out fresh talent. We must have a selection committee that is objective and unbiased that selects on basis of talent and always in the best interests of West Indies cricket,” Lloyd maintained.
That told, Lloyd is of the belief that that the WICB cannot achieve this success on its own without the input of territorial boards and local clubs working together towards a common objective.
Referring to former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill’s quote, ‘To each there comes in their lifetime a special moment when they are figuratively tapped on the shoulder and offered the chance to do a very special thing, unique to them and fitted to their talents’ Lloyd wrote that he has “offered an opportunity to do a very special thing.” “Cricket is one of the great unifying forces in West Indian history and culture and I would like to offer my services to people of the West Indies as the next President of WICB.”
