LONDON, May 13: Clive Lloyd, the former West Indies captain, has said that he will try and convince Duncan Fletcher to take over the position as coach of West Indies.

Fletcher, the former Zimbabwe skipper, had a long stint as the England coach before quitting after the World Cup last month. West Indies, currently in England for a full Test tour, are without a permanent coach after Bennett King too joined the exodus of international coaches after the World Cup.

David Moore, who assisted King during his tenure, is coaching the side, though only on a temporary basis.

Lloyd credited Fletcher for England's rise as a Test team and was hopeful that he could reverse West Indies' sagging fortunes if appointed.

“If he's interested, yes,” Lloyd told The Guardian when asked if he would speak to Fletcher.

“I think Duncan still has a part to play in cricket in general. He is a strong man and a strong character. He has done a good job for England and I'm sure that he or someone of that ilk will be able to do something for West Indies.”

West Indies' last two tours of England have ended in thumping series defeats: they went down 3-1 in 2000 despite leading the series after the first Test at Edgbaston, while in 2004, they were whitewashed 4-0. Lloyd didn't sound too optimistic about their fortunes this time either.

“I don't think people are expecting great things, but we expect them to hold their own when things get tight,” he said. “If they can draw or get close to doing well in one of the Test matches, that's what we'd be looking for. Brian Lara has left, so there's not a lot of experienced batting. They don't have guys to set the world alight. They have to learn very quickly.”

Lloyd was hopeful that Ramnaresh Sarwan, the new captain, manages to instill a professional work ethic in a team under fire for indiscipline and poor form after their lacklustre World Cup campaign.

“There are some very tough decisions to be taken,” he added. “These guys have a comfort zone and they have to get out of that to reach the heights of

other countries. We used to be very athletic and we have to get that work ethic back. Sarwan has now got a chance to do

what I did and bring the guys up a level. The situation will get tough at times and it is how he handles it that matters.”

—Agencies