Sir Clive Lloyd on Test Twenty: “Players will learn multiple skills”

Left: Mr. Clive Lloyd with Mr. Boria Majumdar ( PC- RevSportz), Right: Test Twenty logo ( PC- official instagram handle)

Meeting Sir Clive Lloyd has always been an added incentive when covering cricket in the UK. Now that he is president of Lancashire, there is an added layer to these meetings. Having reached Manchester on 18 June from Leeds, I called Sir Clive to check if he was around. Interestingly, he had arrived the same day, and we decided to catch up at the Hilton Garden Inn the following day after the Indian training session had finished.

As I reached the lobby, I saw the familiar figure of Sir Clive posing for a few photographs with Indian fans who had come in from the US. We greeted each other with a hug, and the first thing Sir Clive asked me was whether I was still a teetotaller. He was having a drink, and I was perfectly happy with a Diet Coke. That is when we got to Test Twenty. Sir Clive is on the advisory board of Test Twenty and is very excited by the new idea.

“It meshes both Test cricket and T20 cricket, you see,” he said, clearly enthused. “It will allow players to play with both the red and white ball. That means players will learn multiple skills.

“The other thing is the mixed-gender format. You have seen the crowd support here in Manchester for the Women’s World Cup. The game has come a long way, and the format comes at the right time. Women and men — or rather girls and boys — playing within the same team is a great idea. While they aren’t on the field together, they are still part of the same side. So unless the boys’ team packs a punch and backs the girls, or vice versa, the team doesn’t win. That is what makes the format interesting for me.”

As president at Lancashire, he also expressed a desire for the organisers to bring the league to Manchester and make use of the new facility that is coming up. Whether that happens remains to be seen, but so far the new format has built some solid early interest. Sir Clive’s endorsement, much like that of AB de Villiers, is a significant one and will encourage prospective players to register and give the format a genuine shot.

As I was about to leave, Sir Clive offered a parting line: how about water with some vodka? My answer remained the same, and we agreed to catch up at the launch of Test Twenty, wherever that may be, in September.

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