Harsh Thakor
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- Oct 1, 2012
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Without doubt Clive Lloyd has been one of the most influential and legendary figures to have set foot on a cricket field.He played the role of an equivalent of a great statesman or military commander to the game converting a bunch of talented individuals into arguably the best team of all time.It was reminiscent of turning a bunch or roving bands into an invincible army.Bar Gary Sobers or Adam Gilchrist it is hard to envisage any left-hander hitting the ball with more thunderous power .Although he hardly looked like a cricketer with a stooping approach few batsmen posessed such a wide range of strokes and on his day he took on the best of pace or spin bowling with the vengeance of a lion or a panther.His 102 in the 1975 world cup final is close to the best O.D.I. ,World cup or any cricket innings ever if you measure the sheer audacity of his strokes.Like a panther leaping on his prey he took on Lillee and Thomson taking batting destructivity to it's highest zenith.Every region of the field was bissected with the precision of an architect and the power of a bulldozer and thee ws hardly an adjective to describe the sheer impetuousity of his strokes.Clive later in 1975-76 topped the batting averages in Australia at 46.9 against the most lethal pace duo of al time-Lillee and Thomson.It was a sheer revelation witnessing Clive's daunting courage aginst the pace terror.
In later yearss he displayed consistency even surpassing Viv Richards like in a 1981 home series against England averaging 76 ,on the 1981-82 tour of Australia ,the 1983 home series v India averaging 67 and the 1983-84 tour of India averaging over 82.My best memory was his being lifted up by his team mates unbeaten 77 at Adelaide in 1982 which secured the Frank Worrel trophy for West Indies and above all mantain the supremacy of West Indian cricket.His 121 at Adelaide in 1979-80 was the stepping stone in West Indies winning their first ever test series in Australia and thus establishing themselves as the world unofficial test match champions for the 1st time .Fittingly it was Lloyd's centuries that won West Indies their 1st One day and unofficial test world title.Clive also established mastery over great spinners destroying the likes of Bedi and Prasanna in India in 1974-75.Few batsmen have so mercilessly tore apart Bedi and Chandra as Lloyd did at Bangalore in 1974-75 or at Mumbai in the same series.As a skipper Lloyd wa sthe ultimate epitome of consistency with the bat who would champion a crisis more than any team -mate.
Still for a batsmen of his potential he may not have done complete justice.Although converting his side into an invincible army he was not as astute a tactician as his contemporay Ian Chappell or Mike Brearley as he showed in Melbourne in 1984-85.No doubt he knitted a bunch of talented individuals together but his role was much more as a motivator than a tactician.
Where should Clive Rank amongst the great cricketers?Afterall he moulded arguably the best team ever in test cricket and his batting in crucial times played a major role in pulling his team out of the woods it's retaining it's spot at the top of the pedestal.Remember how much even outscored the great Sir Viv Richards in the early 1980's.He was not a supreme stylist but still was one of the best ever exponents of genuine quick bowling.On his day he took domination of bowling to the level Garfield Sober's attained He was also a great O.D.I batsmen averaging over 57 in the triangular series in 1981-82 .His overall service to West Indian cricket is comparable to that of Gary Sober,s Viv Richards,Frank Worrel,Malcolm Marshall and Brian Lara.Never forget the recognition his team mates gave him for bringing out the best in them.Perhaps the 1983 world cup defeat was a blot in his record but neverthless it created a spirit of Vengeance in Calypso cricket to ressurect glory like never before.I feel he also fell out in being prolific in WSC supertests in Australia but neverthless led his team to win the Garfield Sobers trophy and the unofficial world championship.I think unfairly Lloyd has been rated in raking 100 all-time great cricketers at no 72 by Cristopher Martin Jenkins and at 80 by Geoff Armstrong Both rank him below the likes of Steve Waugh,Javed Miandad and Graham Gooch while even David Gower is ranked above Clive by Jenkins.Considering his great role in shaping West Indian cricket and impact on the game Lloyd may rank close to Sir Frank Worrell and arguably ahead of Javed Miandad or David Gower.
In later yearss he displayed consistency even surpassing Viv Richards like in a 1981 home series against England averaging 76 ,on the 1981-82 tour of Australia ,the 1983 home series v India averaging 67 and the 1983-84 tour of India averaging over 82.My best memory was his being lifted up by his team mates unbeaten 77 at Adelaide in 1982 which secured the Frank Worrel trophy for West Indies and above all mantain the supremacy of West Indian cricket.His 121 at Adelaide in 1979-80 was the stepping stone in West Indies winning their first ever test series in Australia and thus establishing themselves as the world unofficial test match champions for the 1st time .Fittingly it was Lloyd's centuries that won West Indies their 1st One day and unofficial test world title.Clive also established mastery over great spinners destroying the likes of Bedi and Prasanna in India in 1974-75.Few batsmen have so mercilessly tore apart Bedi and Chandra as Lloyd did at Bangalore in 1974-75 or at Mumbai in the same series.As a skipper Lloyd wa sthe ultimate epitome of consistency with the bat who would champion a crisis more than any team -mate.
Still for a batsmen of his potential he may not have done complete justice.Although converting his side into an invincible army he was not as astute a tactician as his contemporay Ian Chappell or Mike Brearley as he showed in Melbourne in 1984-85.No doubt he knitted a bunch of talented individuals together but his role was much more as a motivator than a tactician.
Where should Clive Rank amongst the great cricketers?Afterall he moulded arguably the best team ever in test cricket and his batting in crucial times played a major role in pulling his team out of the woods it's retaining it's spot at the top of the pedestal.Remember how much even outscored the great Sir Viv Richards in the early 1980's.He was not a supreme stylist but still was one of the best ever exponents of genuine quick bowling.On his day he took domination of bowling to the level Garfield Sober's attained He was also a great O.D.I batsmen averaging over 57 in the triangular series in 1981-82 .His overall service to West Indian cricket is comparable to that of Gary Sober,s Viv Richards,Frank Worrel,Malcolm Marshall and Brian Lara.Never forget the recognition his team mates gave him for bringing out the best in them.Perhaps the 1983 world cup defeat was a blot in his record but neverthless it created a spirit of Vengeance in Calypso cricket to ressurect glory like never before.I feel he also fell out in being prolific in WSC supertests in Australia but neverthless led his team to win the Garfield Sobers trophy and the unofficial world championship.I think unfairly Lloyd has been rated in raking 100 all-time great cricketers at no 72 by Cristopher Martin Jenkins and at 80 by Geoff Armstrong Both rank him below the likes of Steve Waugh,Javed Miandad and Graham Gooch while even David Gower is ranked above Clive by Jenkins.Considering his great role in shaping West Indian cricket and impact on the game Lloyd may rank close to Sir Frank Worrell and arguably ahead of Javed Miandad or David Gower.
