Clive Lloyd criticises Chris Gayle over World Cup selection outburst

Clive Lloyd has hit out at Chris Gayle’s outburst over West Indies squad selection ahead of the World Cup and suggested a code of conduct should be introduced.

Lloyd led the West Indies to World Cup success in 1975 and 1979 and he is now Chairman of Selectors but they have come under fire for omitting experienced duo Dwayne Bravo and Kieron Pollard from their 15-man World Cup squad.

Bravo and Pollard have played 255 ODI's between them, leading to Gayle calling the decision to axe them as “ridiculous” and claiming he was hurt by the decision.

But speaking on The Morning View on Sky Sports News HQ, Lloyd defended the decision to include some new blood in the squad and name Jason Holder as captain.

“There was a lot of discussion about leaving them out but we are confident we have done the right thing,” he said.

“I don’t know why he (Gayle) should be hurt. You can’t please everybody when you choose teams, you have to play with the team and what is given.

“He is probably very good friends with them but I didn’t expect an outburst like that.

“I don’t think it’s in keeping with (our) standards and I think there should be a code of conduct. Anybody can now say what they like about selection.

“I think that’s wrong and I hope they rectify it as soon as possible.”

Lloyd believes criticism of squad selection can be disruptive to the team and voiced concerns it may undermine the players who are picked.

“What you are saying is the captain has got the wrong side. England have no (Alastair) Cook or (Kevin) Pietersen but the team is still out there trying their best.

“They are trying to pick the best team possible. We have done that for the last 10 years and we still haven’t moved off the bottom rung of the ladder.”

Lloyd was also keen to offer his support to new skipper Holder, who he admitted faces a difficult task in unifying players from disparate islands into one team.

“It’s a huge challenge to captain West Indies. It’s different from captaining any other country in the sense that we have a plethora of islands, with different cultures and different backgrounds,” added Lloyd.

“I think he has got the ability to galvanise those players into a winning combination.

“We will have to see how he goes with the older guys and the younger fellas in getting them to gel together. It’s a learning process for him but he is an intelligent man and I am sure he will learn quickly and we hope we can get a few wins under our belts.”

As for England’s chances in the World Cup, Lloyd backed their new captain, Eoin Morgan, and insisted their unfancied side could prove their doubters wrong in Australia and New Zealand.

“They have a new captain and England have decided to give someone young (a chance) and players will want to play for him,” said Lloyd.

“He seems to be a very intelligent young man and I am sure he will get the best out of his players.

“There are so many other teams there but England could be the surprise team of the tournament.”