T20 leagues have helped India and Windies: Lloyd

Lloyd, the current chairman of the West Indies selection panel, said the experience of playing in different conditions and against different players, had allowed the Windies players to develop significantly in recent years. 

“It has given our cricket that bit of a lift playing in the IPL, Big Bash and so on. You’re playing against different people, you’re playing in different conditions and we have done very, very well,” said Lloyd, who led.

West Indies to back-to-back World Cups in 1975 and 1979. “I presume India’s young players have learnt a lot from playing with the other countries that come to the IPL. They learn different things about the game and that’s what it’s all about. “County cricket gave us that sort of learning school because we picked up a lot, we became more professional while playing County cricket. 

“The same thing is happening now, we have some of the best one-day cricketers around. They play in India, they play in South Africa, they play in Australia, Bangladesh … some of them playing now in England. “It has given us that sort of rounded thing about getting to be professional and playing a lot more cricket outside the West Indies.” 

Lloyd, one of the leading players of the 1970 and 80s, said the success of both teams would be a huge boost to cricket in the Caribbean and noted it reflected the depth that existed in Windies cricket. “It is good for our cricket. It is good for our cricketers. 

We have six million people [in the Caribbean], that’s not a lot of people and to be in the final of both men and women – and the young Under-19 side just won the World Cup – [is great],” Lloyd noted. “So it has been a pretty good three or four months in West Indies cricket and let’s hope this is where it’s going to take off. 

“I think we have one of the best one-day sides in the world though we’ve missed out on a couple of good players – (Sunil) Narine, (Kieron) Pollard and a couple of players like that – we still managed to get into a final so it shows the depth that we have where our cricket is concerned. 

“We probably now only have to work on Test cricket because that’s the area we need to improve.” Lloyd, responsible for moulding West Indies into World champions in all formats during the late 70s and 80s, said though flair characterised the regional game, there was also a high level of thinking that went into the current success in the shorter formats. 

“We were champions for 18 years so you have to have some sort of intelligence to keep to that level for so long,” he stressed. “I don’t think there is any other country that has been at the top of their game for such a long time, so it’s not only about being Calypso cricketers. We’re intelligent, professional men and women.”