Sir Clive Lloyd tells Windies batsmen to bat long, and in stages

As the West Indies tour to New Zealand looms, legendary former West Indies captain Sir Clive Lloyd is calling on the Windies batsmen to bat for long periods and in stages.

During his recent appearance on the Mason and Guest radio programme, Sir Clive expressed concern about the opening slot in the Test team, and said he strongly believes that Joshua Da Silva should be groomed as the next opener.
“Where Test cricket is concerned, I look at batsmen averaging 25 and 20 (and) I am laughing because I know you can’t bat long. Our players are running out of patience, they are playing shots…because they want to get into the IPL. You can’t blame them, everyone wants to look after their family,” Sir Clive reasoned.
He noted that if West Indies players are passionate about representing the Caribbean, they should be able to come back and play for the West Indies.
Expressing grave disappointment with the route taken by the Selection Panel in drafting reserve players into the Test squad, the eminent Sir Clive said: “We made a very big mistake in the UK. We had 30 players, and if a guy is failing, we need to replace him.”
Sir Clive acknowledged that the West Indies’ bowling has been good, but he lamented the batting as poor. He expressed the conviction that West Indies Test batsmen must bat long, and bat in stages.
West Indies cricketers on the tour to New Zealand are Test Squad: Jason Holder (captain), Jermaine Blackwood, Kraigg Brathwaite, Darren Bravo, Shamarh Brooks, John Campbell, Roston Chase, Rahkeem Cornwall, Shane Dowrich, Shannon Gabriel, Shimron Hetmyer, Chemar Holder, Alzarri Joseph, Keemo Paul and Kemar Roach.
The Test Reserves are: Nkrumah Bonner, Joshua Da Silva, Preston Mc Sween, Shayne Moseley, Raymon Reifer and Jayden Seales. (Brandon Corlette)