Former West Indies World Cup-winning captain Sir Clive Lloyd spoke about the nightclub controversy involving Ben Stokes and Gus Atkinson in a recent interview with The Telegraph They were involved in a physical altercation after which they were suspended from the team for one match, and thus, after returning to the team, Stokes ended his international career.
Apart from this, he also talked about West Indies cricket and the future of cricket in the country, which had taken some loan from the International Cricket Council (ICC) during its tough times, and also talked about the dwindling future of T20 cricket and Test cricket.
“I wouldn’t want to be embarrassed” – Sir Clive Lloyd on Ben Stokes nightclub controversy
Speaking to The Telegraph, Sir Clive Lloyd said that the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) should have kept the news to itself despite the controversy. Sir Clive believes that they could have given him a fine and a warning and let him go without any harsh punishment. Sir Clive believes that the suspension proved to be an embarrassment for Ben Stokes.
“I really think they should have kept the Ben Stokes stuff at home. Then you avoid all this. Yes, rules were broken, but you fine people, warn them and move on. How many people have broken curfew, had too much to drink? Come on.”
“I wouldn’t want to publicly embarrass someone who has done so much for English cricket. If you are a coach and a manager you have to sit down and do the work, not just throw everything out there. Manage things. That’s why you manage.”
What happened in the nightclub and post it?
Ben Stokes and Gus Atkinson were involved in a physical fight with a former rugby player and for breaching the curfew and getting involved in a fight, both were thrown out of the second test match against the New Zealand national cricket team.
Despite returning in the third and final Test match, Ben Stokes announced his retirement from international cricket, which caused a stir in the cricket world and many believed that Ben Stokes was insulted and hence retired from the game.
“Young people have been exposed” – Sir Clive Lloyd on the future of Test cricket
Speaking on West Indies Cricket, Sir Clive Lloyd said the ICC gave Cricket West Indies a loan of almost £10m after the board reported a net loss of £21m for 2025. The Windies recently defeated Sri Lanka 1-0 in the two-Test home series; This is their only win in their last 10 Test matches, which is a matter of concern for them and Sir Clive is worried about the youngsters getting more involved in T20 than Test cricket.
“I’m worried about the youngsters,” says Lloyd. “We were lucky enough to play with the likes of Wes Hall, Charlie Griffiths, Lance Gibbs and Rohan Kanhai. They don’t have that because most of our senior guys, the best players, don’t play Test cricket. They’re playing franchise cricket, so these youngsters are exposed, and that’s an unfortunate thing.
“I also thought it would have been better for us to play two Tests against New Zealand instead of just one-day matches. It gives you a better chance to assess how good you are. It would have given these guys proper exposure and a real test of their abilities because T20 is entertainment; Test cricket is a test.
