Clive Lloyd, one of the legends of the game and currently chairman of the ICC Cricket Committee is one of the participants at the ICC Centenary Conference at Oxford. Here he shares experiences from his amazing cricketing journey.
Can you think back into your career and tell us about the major highlights, memories that remain very special to you personally?
My first highlight was certainly my debut series in India. In fact, my debut Test match. Till 30 minutes before the start of play I wasn't supposed to play in the game. And then the captain, Gary Sobers, came up to me and said, "You are playing." It was a huge moment for me.
And I played very well in the Test match and we won the game. It certainly remains a major highlight.
Also, I very well remember my first Test match 100. It was a very special moment as well.
Was India the most difficult place to tour those days?
Yes you can say that. Things weren't ideal, for sure, and facilities weren't as they are now. But the crowd made up for everything else.
Their passion for the game in India was and remains unparalleled. They worship cricketers as gods and it was very exciting to tour India even at that point.
Before playing for the West Indies and scoring your first century, what really inspired you to play cricket as a child? Can you tell us a little more about your childhood experiences?
Look, I was born into cricket, as they say. My club was less than 50 meters from my house.
My school was within a mile and the test match ground was also very close to where I lived, so cricket was all round.
My cousin Lance Gibbs always inspired me to take up the game seriously and though he was some years elder to me, he was a major influence and pushed me to the game.
Others who were childhood heroes, were Gary Sobers, Rohan Kanhai and Basil Butcher. I grew up watching all of them play.
Can you recount any incident that for you epitomises the spirit of cricket that we are trying to celebrate?
Yes, for sure. I admire Adam [Gilchirst] and Brian [Lara] for the fact that they walk if they nick the ball. That for me is the true spirit with which the game ought to be played.
Youngsters watching can take lessons from their conduct and I think they are players who hold up the spirit of the game from among those who played the game in this generation.
Do you think the spirit of cricket has any relevance at all to our times when the game is becoming increasingly commercialised?
Yes absolutely. There's no doubt that spirit of cricket continues to be relevant. And that is why I admire men like Gilchrist and Brian, for they are the ones who help in keeping the spirit of the game alive.
As I said, men who are watching them will learn to play the game in the right spirit.
For a full audio recording of this interview done for the ICC Centenary website, please visit www.catchthespirit.com.
