Lloyd's job at risk following ECB summons (2 Sep 1998)

2 September 1998

Lloyd's job at risk following ECB summons

Christopher Martin-Jenkins.

DAVID LLOYD'S position as England coach is in apparent jeopardy as a result of his comments about the action of Sri Lanka's Test-winning off-spinner, Muttiah Muralitharan.

He has been summoned to a meeting with senior officials of the England and Wales Cricket Board this week to explain the badly-timed remarks made at a press conference on Sunday night and a subsequent verbal altercation with Geoff Boycott.

Described by the board as a "public argument", the dispute with Boycott, who had suggested on television that England should get a coach who could keep his mouth shut, actually took place in a private area of the Oval reserved for broadcasters. Witnessed by a Surrey official, extracts from the argument were relayed to the press.

Tim Lamb, the board's chief executive, said: "Lloyd's remarks were his own and not in line with the position of the ECB, which is happy to abide by the ICC's ruling on Muralitharan's action. David has been advised that what he said was inappropriate and insensitive and senior officials of the board will see him at the earliest possible opportunity to discuss his comments. We're taking this, and his public argument with a television presenter, very seriously."

So seriously that Richard Peel, the board's head of corporate affairs, said yesterday that the termination of Lloyd's contract, due to expire after the World Cup, was not inconceivable. Asked about the possible outcome of the meeting, likely to take place in the next 48 hours, he said Lloyd might be exonerated, reprimanded, warned or even sacked. "We need to speak to him to establish the facts," said Peel, adding: "We're aware that he has been severely reprimanded before."

He was referring to Lloyd's various outbursts in the immediate aftermath of the Test in Bulawayo in 1996-97 when Zimbabwe bowled wide of the stumps and narrowly succeeded in depriving England of a victory Lloyd felt his side had earned. In his own expression: "We murdered them, we flippin' murdered them." Lord MacLaurin, then the new chairman of the board, left him in no doubt that he must not go around chuntering about injustices, real or imagined, again.

Since on this occasion he chose his original remarks to the press carefully and was cleared by the match referee of breaking the code of conduct, dismissal would surely be an over-reaction. Lloyd was clearly keen to make a point about Muralitharan's freakish action on Sunday, but what he actually said was: "I have my own opinions which I'll make known to the authorities. I have nothing else to say."

When it was pointed out this might sound like sour grapes, he replied: "It isn't being churlish. It's just the way things have to be. With the way he bowls, he'll always be a handful."

Lloyd's passion and articulacy have been an asset but unfortunately his patriotism becomes exaggerated sometimes to the point of running the opposition down and the final warning he is likely to get this week increases the possibility of a new coach next year.

Source :: Electronic Telegraph (https://www.telegraph.co.uk)