Former West Indies skipper Clive Lloyd feels that money should not be a factor to stop the players from playing franchise cricket over International Cricket for their country. Many Caribbean cricketers have prioritized T20 cricket over playing for the West Indies team in recent years due to the emergence of T20 leagues around the globe.
IPL is too big to be ignored and with every passing year, it is becoming bigger if not better, Many experts and fans are divided by their opinions on the status of the league and its impact on the game. With top IPL teams owning teams in other T20 leagues like SA20, Major League, CPL, and ILT20 expanding the T20 cricket to 12 months, Many players have shown interest to play in the T20 leagues.
Speaking to the Revsportz, Clive Llyod feels that it is natural for the players to play in the IPL, as it plays an important role in their career for the financial stability of their future and reckons that usually a sports person dedicate their best days of the life to the game and they deserve to earn the money for their hard work in the cricket just like Michael Jordan and football professional in the World.
“I think we went to Kerry Packer because we did not know our worth. These guys now know what they are worth. But I think that if IPL is such an important part of their lives, just give them a window so that they can play IPL.”
“Yes, a window would be excellent, I think, because they are earning a good living. And do not forget, you are giving your best part, the best days of your life to this sport. So why not be paid for it? When Michael Jordan and all these footballers were earning millions per month, nobody said anything about it. Why cricket should be different?” Clive Llyod said.
West Indies players Andre Russell and Sunil Narine have been part of the Kolkata Knight Riders setup in the IPL, MLC, ILT20, and CPL, as they are not part of the West Indies in the last few years in International cricket.
It Is Like Digging A Hole To Fill A Hole – Clive Llyod
Clive Llyod believes that the players should try to balance playing for the country and the franchise cricket, as the Men in Maroon loses half of their core players from the setup due to the emergence of the franchise and reckons that the players should be provided with the platform to perform for the country in the highest level.
“You cannot stop them from doing that. It gives them a good future. But the point is that they should not do this to the detriment of playing for their country or their nation. And we suffer because we are only five and a half million people. So if we groom twenty players and lose ten, it is like digging a hole to fill a hole. And I do not want that.”
“I want our best players to play and I want them to play to their optimum. So, we must have a situation where players must want to play for their country,” Clive Llyod added.
West Indies team has struggled in recent years, as they could not perform well in the bilateral series and ICC events, as the two-time T20 champions failed to qualify for the Super 12 of the 2022 T20 World Cup and the team is currently playing ODI World Cup Qualifiers in Zimbabwe.