LONDON – Legendary West Indies captain Sir Clive Lloyd was on Wednesday formally awarded his Knighthood, during an investiture ceremony performed by the Duke of Cambridge, Prince William, at Windsor Castle.
The 77-year-old was conferred with the Knighthood in the Queen’s New Year Honours list back in 2020 “for his services to cricket” but the ceremony had been scuppered by the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Today Sir Clive was joined in the ceremony by England white-ball captain Eoin Morgan who was honoured with a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE).
In a statement, Cricket West Indies president Ricky Skerritt hailed the “unifying leadership” of Sir Clive’s tenure, which was highlighted by the capture of the first two 50-over World Cups in 1975 and 1979 in England.
“On behalf of CWI and everyone involved in West Indies cricket, I want to offer heartiest congratulations to Sir Clive on this tremendous honour,” Skerritt said.
“Sir Clive holds a special place in cricket history as the first man to lift the Cricket World Cup, which brought tremendous pride and joy to West Indians all over the world.
“That victory at Lords was a hugely significant moment in West Indies cricket when we demonstrated we were the best team in the world, with the unifying style of Sir Clive’s leadership standing out.
“Sir Clive has made a massive contribution to the growth of the game in the West Indies and globally, and cricket fans everywhere should welcome this most fitting accolade.”
West Indies became the world’s most dominant side under Sir Clive, enjoying a famous streak of 27 Test matches without defeat, including 11 wins in a row.
He successfully molded a side that included the likes of Sir Vivian Richards, Sir Gordon Greenidge and Sir Andy Roberts.
Sir Clive, a left-hander, scored 7 515 from 110 Tests and 1 977 runs from 87 One-Day Internationals, in a career that spanned two decades.
Since his retirement, he has served in various roles as International Cricket Council match referee, on the ICC cricket committee, and as West Indies team manager and chief selector.
(CMC)
