SYDNEY: West Indies chairman of selectors Clive Lloyd says he cannot fault the Caribbean’s star players for preferring lucrative T20 contracts to Test cricket.

West Indies players Chris Gayle, Andre Russell, Lendl Simmons, Dwayne Bravo and Samuel Badree are playing in the domestic Big Bash T20 tournament while the beleaguered Test team is 2-0 down to Australia going into the final Test beginning on Sunday.

Lloyd said on Friday that “with the money that is being paid in these shorter games it’s obvious that players are looking towards their future and unfortunately we’re missing out” and that “we’re left with a vacuum and we now have to fill that”.

Lloyd said Gayle could return to Test cricket but “you have to play in our four-day competition before you’re selected for the longer game”.

Published in Dawn, January 2nd, 2016