ICC World Cup 2019: Clive Lloyd talks about Chris Gayle’s importance in the tournament

Marking 100 days to the World Cup 2019, legendary Windies captain Clive Lloyd was in London on Tuesday at an event along with former English cricketers Nasser Hussain, Graeme Swann, Alastair Cook and James Anderson. Under Lloyd’s captaincy, Windies had won the first two editions of World Cup in England before losing to India, captained by Kapil Dev, in the final of the 1983 edition.

The 74-year-old had himself played a crucial role in the final of the 1975 World Cup against Australia, scoring an 85-ball 102. Speaking at the event, Lloyd recalled being a part of the historic win by the Windies, particularly remembering his 149-run stand with Rohan Kanhai after being 50/3 in the inaugural edition of World Cup final.

“It was the first World Cup — they’ll never be another first — and having won it in front of a large West Indian contingent, it was quite exciting,” Lloyd was quoted as saying in Scroll. “I got a few runs — I think I got 102 – but the point is I got in there when we lost three quick wickets, so we were in a spot of bother.”

“Rohan Kanhai and myself sort of rallied the situation and then we got to a pretty good score. We had a total that we can defend and we defended it quite well. Although it was close in the end, we were always in the ascendancy,” he further added.

Chris Gayle can make Windies a formidable team

He also spoke about Windies batsman Chris Gayle at the event. The big-hitting batsman recently announced his ODI retirement after the World Cup which begins on May 30 in England and Wales. Windies qualified for this year’s mega-event after playing a qualifying event but Llyod feels that if Chris Gayle finds his mojo back, the team can be a force to reckon with. Gayle is making a return to international cricket with the five-match ODI series against England, which started today.

“I think they can be quite a formidable side if they choose the right team. We have some good one-day players and let’s hope Mr Gayle fires in more ways than one. I think they can do very well in this competition,” Clive Llyod concluded.

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