Lloyd defends West Indies Test absentees

West Indies chairman of selectors Clive Lloyd does not blame a number of their big-name players for staying away from the Test scene.

The Windies lack of talent has been evident in the five-day game for some time and they have once again struggled in Australia - who have claimed an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series with consummate.

Players such as Chris Gayle, Andre Russell and Lendl Simmons - who are all in Australia for the Big Bash League - have turned their backs on the Test team.

While Lloyd believes their self-enforced exiles have been to the detriment of the Test side, he understands the reasoning of those who have shunned cricket's longest format.

"You can't fault them. The money that is being paid in these shorter games, it's obvious that players are looking towards their future," Lloyd said at a media conference.

"And unfortunately we're missing out, all those guys who we groomed have now left so we're left with a vacuum and we now have to fill that.

"That's the situation we have, we have guys like Andre Russell, Lendl Simmons, Chris Gayle, [Dwayne] Bravo and these fellas, they've retired from the longer form of the game.

"It's a bit of a sad situation but I'm sure that our cricket will get better."

On the Windies struggles in Australia, where they have yet to win a match on tour, he added: "We've travelled 12,000 miles and it's different here.

"We had jetlag, there's the heat, the hardness of the grounds, it's just getting accustomed to a lot of things and two four-day games [before the series] would probably have put us in good stead.

"It showed in the last game we batted fairly well on a pretty good Test pitch so I'm sure the guys will give a good account of themselves in the long run.

"But it will take some time to build a Test team because [around] 10 of our players are playing the one-day format of the game and we have to try and look to build a team that's going to stand us in good stead for the future.

"These tours are so short these days that you just play one four-day game then Test match, Test match, Test match then go into the one-dayers."


West Indies would welcome back Gayle

West Indies chairman of selectors Clive Lloyd is open to powerful opener Chris Gayle making a return to Test cricket.

Gayle, 36, last played a Test in September 2014, with his focus since then mostly on domestic Twenty20 competitions.

The left-hander has said he is targeting a return to the five-day format in 2016 as he looks to add to his 103 Tests.

Lloyd said he was open to the idea of Gayle, who averages 42.18 with the bat in Tests, making a return for the struggling Windies.

"You have to play in our four-day competition before you’re selected for the longer game," he told a news conference on Friday.

"It's entirely up to him to do so, if he chooses to play one-dayers then that's his choice and we'll have to choose accordingly.

"But to play in the one-day game you have to play in the one-day competition and to play in the Test matches you have to play in the longer form of cricket at home."

Lloyd said T20 competitions had "decimated" the Windies Test team, who trail Australia 2-0 in their three-match series.

But the West Indies great believes playing in the longer format is still the dream for kids.

Lloyd also backed captain Jason Holder and his team and also called for ICC assistance.

"They [the ICC] can give us some more money for starters," he said.

"The money should be evenly distributed because we are playing Test cricket."

He added: "I'm sure that we will be a force to be reckoned with in a couple of years' time."