81: Sir Clive Lloyd

110 matches. 7515 runs @ 46.67. 19 hundreds. Highest score: 242*

18 years. 1x good. 4x excellent. 4x outstanding.

The discussion

Clive Lloyd was one of the most recognisable characters in world cricket. He was physically imposing; I imagine that his size was intimidating at the crease — A Viv Richards-like presence before Viv Richards redefined the word swagger on a cricket field. But perhaps his most recognisable characteristics were his wide hat and his glasses — glasses that were actually the result of an injury as a child, suffered while breaking up a fight.

Lloyd had a relatively slow start to his Test career, but the 1975–76 West Indies tour of Australia is probably the best place to start our discussion. Many see that series as a turning point in the history of Test cricket. Lloyd had personal success, with 469 runs in the series at 46.9, but the West Indies were defeated 5-1, with the fast-bowling pair of Dennis Lillee and Jeff Thomson inflicting a high proportion of the damage. But this loss became the genesis for the dominance of the West Indies for the almost two decades that followed. Lloyd saw a blueprint for success — a fearsome and intimidating fast bowling line-up — and knew it was something his team could replicate. Before long, a four-pronged West Indian pace attack (with plenty more in reserve!) was sweeping all before it. Behind the scenes, making all the manoeuvres, was Clive Lloyd.

The result of that blueprint? A period of dominance that includes 26 Tests without a defeat, 11 wins in a row and 13 Test series wins, with one draw and only one defeat (to New Zealand in New Zealand) for the remainder of Lloyd’s career. In his 74 matches as captain, he lost only 12 Tests — a losing ratio of just 16.21%, which puts him alongside Viv Richards (16%) and Steven Waugh (15.78%) as one of the most successful skippers in the history of the men’s game.

Much like the conversation about Frank Worrell, it’s taken a while to start discussing Lloyd’s production with the bat. But that doesn’t make it any less impressive. Even in the twilight of his career, Lloyd was still making his mark at the crease. In 1983–84, he scored 496 runs at 82, and in his last seven series he averaged 76.6, 55, 67.83, 82.66, 42.5, 51 and 50.85. This is an incredible run for any batter at any stage, let alone from age 36 through to his retirement in 1984–85 as a 40-year-old. I found a YouTube clip of his innings in Brisbane on his final tour — I almost couldn’t believe the ease with which he dispatched the Australians off the front and back foot, on both sides of the wicket, for a hundred at just about a run a ball. Simply incredible.

The final point to highlight is Lloyd’s consistency, both as a captain and as a player. He went 58 innings before recording a duck in a Test (the third-longest streak to start a career of all-time). In addition, Lloyd has five Test series with multiple centuries. He was consistently a great performer in all conditions — he has a better average away (46.8) than at home (46.46) and more hundreds away (11 compared with 8 at home) as well. Even in the testing conditions of the subcontinent, Lloyd was outstanding. His highest two averages in a series both came on tours of India in 1974–75 (636 runs at 79.5) and in 1983–84 (496 runs at 82.66).

The verdict

Clive Lloyd had a terrific Test career. Only 28 batters have more runs at a better average than he does. His record is better than it looks at first glance — even though I know that in terms of pure numbers there are candidates that some might think have a similar or even stronger statistical case. I know New Zealand fans in particular will point to similarities in Lloyd’s record and those of New Zealand legends Martin Crowe and Ross Taylor (to name but two examples).

But, as I’ve highlighted earlier, Clive Lloyd brings multiple strings to his Hall-of-Fame bow. As well as being a great leader and a powerful batter, he was a tremendous fielder and a transcendent character. Add in his subsequent role as a team manager and senior figure in West Indian cricket post-retirement and he starts to check all the boxes. Like MS Dhoni and Frank Worrell before him, Lloyd enhances his credentials in the Hall of Fame with his leadership, and by the influence he had on winning at the highest level.

Bottom line, Clive Lloyd made his team, and his teammates better. Not just a bit better, but he united factions, set the vision and moulded individuals into a team that built a dynasty in world cricket that lasted more than 15 years. Like it or not, I value winning, and Clive Lloyd was the right person in the right place, at the right time, with the right mental resilience, ruthless planning and people-management skills to become the leader of possibly the greatest Test cricket side of all-time.

In one word

Leader

Notes

Bio

Record

Source: ESPN CricInfo

career peak

Sources: ESPN CricInfo