Slow over rates don’t worry Clive Lloyd

Press, 16 November 1981, Page 36

Slow over rates don’t worry Clive Lloyd

NZPA Adelaide Over rates are not that important provided the cricket is exciting, said the West Indies captain, Clive Lloyd, at Adelaide Oval yesterday. . ; Lloyd was speaking after his arrival from England on Saturday where he had stayed behind during his wife’s operation for a back complaint. While the West Indies had six fast bowlers, this did not necessarily mean that over rates would be much slower than Australia’s, said Lloyd. “A lot has been said by the media concerning over rates with the result that the public has become more conscious of them,” he said, “but the public can quickly forget about them providing the cricket is exciting and entertaining. “I know this happened in our series against England. “All of bur fast bowlers are fully aware of what over rates can mean to a game

and are always too quick to return to their bowling mark,” he added. Lloyd said that umpires could help in speeding the over rates: “They can inform a bowler that he has become a little slow and I am sure bowlers will assist,” he said. “I feel that we can get through our overs as quickly as Australia, judged by the fact that Australia bowled only eleven overs an hour in the test against Pakistan in Perth. Naturally, I would like to bowl about 17 overs an hour., but feel that we can operate at around 13 an hour.” LLoyd said he had high hopes of beating Australia in the forthcoming test series. "I believe our bowling is adequate but I am not fully confident about the batting. I would like to see players such as Gordon Greenidge and Desmond Haynes getting big scores. “We have relied a great deal on Viv Richards and some of the recognised bats-

men must get runs to take pressure off him,” he said. Lloyd said he was looking to big things from some of his younger batsmen, particularly Gus Logie.

“There was a time when there was a sudden exit of top rate players in the West Indies and this left us going through a period of test defeats.

“The policy is now to encourage youngsters and give them experience, hopefully that they will be able to take over.” Asked if his young spinner, Harold Joseph, was likely to be given a test chance, Lloyd replied: “Everyone has a chance, but at this stage it seems unlikely that Joseph will play. He is here for experience. “And I must point out that we have tried 14 spinners in recent years and they have not been as successful as our fast bowlers.

“I believe we will get through the test with our fast bowlers and have brought

six, which enables two of them to rest at any time.” Lloyd confessed that his present string of fast bowlers was possibly the most powerful concentration of speed in any test side.

He would not comment on whether he was surprised to see Greg Chappell leading Australia again. “I do not know what the Australian policy is but often when you lose a series there can be a change of leadership,” he said. Referring to the Pakistan complaint about having to play on the faster Perth wicket while the West Indies played its tests in the eastern states, he added: “It looked as if Pakistan could have been satisfied in Perth when they bowled Australia out for 180.

“Pakistan has Imran and Sarfraz and in any case if you are a test batsman you have to play on any type of wicket — and I would not call Sydney a slow wicket or even Adelaide,” Lloyd said.