ST JOHNS'S, Sept 18: With Grenada reeling from havoc caused by Hurricane Ivan, Clive Lloyd, West Indies most successful cricket captain, wants game's administrators to set up a disaster fund to help victims and also aid former Test stars.

Lloyd, who led West Indies during the region's glory days, sees need for an international disaster fund and another organised specifically for West Indies.

The disaster fund would be financed by a portion of television rights for international games, such as annual tours by Australia, England, New Zealand, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, South Africa and other Test-playing nations.

"If we had a percentage of TV rights from most of the countries and other things, that money can go towards the fund whose proceeds would help by going to disasters of the kind that occurred in Grenada and to a lesser extent Jamaica as a result of Hurricane Ivan," he told Saturday Sun in telephone interview from England where he is involved in the ICC Champions Trophy as a match referee.

"We will always have hurricanes in West Indies and if we in the Caribbean can do same sort of thing, a percentage from TV rights, and if we can play a game, West Indies versus The Rest at beginning of a tour that money can go into a fund and be kept there," he suggested.

He first put proposal to Sir Colin Cowdrey when he was ICC chairman in 1990s.

"It can be two-fold really. We can also use interest on money to honour Test cricketers of yesteryear, those who didn't have benefits, and so on.

"Seymour Nurses of this world, Sir Everton Weekes, people of that nature, and Wes Hall.

"It's a way of saying thank-you for your services and contribution. This can go on for about three years until the fund is built up."

Lloyd thinks funds can collect millions of dollars and Caribbean governments can be encouraged to include contributions in their budgets.

"It can be used for past cricketers who may need costly medical care, such as operations or who may have fallen on hard times as well.

"It can also be used as a kind of reward to those who went before and built up the game".-Agencies