Former West Indies (WI) captain Clive Lloyd expressed concerns about the proposed two-tier system for the ICC World Test Championship (WTC), noting that the team is “just two years out of being in that group for 100 years”.
WI cricket administrators are wary of the potential introduction of the two-tier WTC system and are hoping to influence its implementation, as stated by Cricket West Indies (CWI) chief executive Chris Dehring. “All of that we have a role to play in, we have a seat at the table at the ICC,” Dehring remarked during a press conference organized by ESPNCricinfo following CWI’s emergency meeting with past team legends. This meeting was held after WI’s dismissal for 27 runs, the second-lowest Test total ever, in the third Test against Australia last month.
“We have to just stay abreast as close as possible to all the changes that could happen, position ourselves, hedging our bets so to speak, to make sure we are in there as West Indies cricket, no matter which way the wind blows and try to take advantage of it,” Dehring added.
Last month, the International Cricket Council (ICC) established a working group, led by former New Zealand cricketer Roger Twose, to explore, among other things, improvements to the WTC before the 2025-27 cycle. The two-tier system was a significant topic of discussion during the ICC’s annual conference in July. Twose, the New Zealand Cricket (NZC) representative on the ICC Board, is expected to make recommendations to the board.
The debate over a two-tier WTC has been ongoing since before the WTC became a proper league-based tournament with a title clash. This issue has proven divisive among ICC Full Members who have the privilege of playing Tests.
In all WTC campaigns thus far, WI has finished eighth out of nine teams, securing only 10 wins in 39 Tests, with 23 losses and 6 draws. Lloyd, who attended the meeting along with legends such as Brian Lara and Viv Richards, pointed out the distribution of ICC funds to member boards. He argued that WI deserves financial consideration despite their declining standards over the years, citing their status as a top team from the 1970s to the 1980s and a highly competitive unit in the 1990s and 2000s.
“We have to look at what is happening at the ICC with the shareout of the money. India, Australia and England get 180 million and West Indies will get 80 million like Bangladesh and Afghanistan, and we are just two years out of being in that group for 100 years,” Lloyd said.
“To me, it is not right. We have to stand up. We have to go to the ICC and ask for special dispensation. Because when we were in the ascendancy, and we were playing so well, everyone wanted to play with us.”
