Windies 'inspired' by former captain Clive Lloyd's letter
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A message from former captain Clive Lloyd has inspired stand-in West Indies one-day international captain Jason Mohammed, he said Thursday ahead of a three-match series against Bangladesh.
In an open letter, the 76-year-old Lloyd urged members of the depleted West Indies squad to take advantage of the opportunity, reminding them of their selection for the series on merit.
"It is coming from one of our greats. Obviously those are the sort of things you want to hear," Mohammed told reporters at a virtual press conference in Dhaka.
"There's a lot of negative talk going around. When you hear someone like Clive Lloyd, he puts a great belief within you.
"It is an opportunity for all of us to try to put our hands up, firstly to get in the original team, when the full squad is back.
"It has inspired the team, and hopefully we can back his wisdom," he added.
Mohammed was recalled to the West Indies ODI side after more than two years and was handed the captaincy to lead an inexperienced side after regular captain Jason Holder chose not to tour over fears of coronavirus.
Kieron Pollard, Darren Bravo, Sheldon Cottrell, Evin Lewis, Shai Hope, Shimron Hetmyer and Nicholas Pooran also declined to travel for the same reason.
"I am happy to be back and importantly, given the role to lead the team. It is a big job. I just want to lead the team to the best of my ability, to a series win," said Mohammed, who last played for West Indies on the Bangladesh tour in 2018.
Mohammed previously led West Indies in an ODI against England and three Twenty20 internationals against Pakistan.
"It is the second time that I am captaining. I am quite happy to do it. It is a great opportunity for me personally to lead the West Indies team," he said.
"Growing up you always want to play for the West Indies but leading the Caribbean team, it is a great feeling.
"Sometimes things come in different ways. I just have to grab this opportunity and make the best use of it, and lead the team to the best of my ability," he added.
The West Indies begin their tour with a warm-up match on January 18 before playing a three-match one-day international series.
The first two ODIs will take place in Dhaka on January 20 and 22 with the final one-day game in Chittagong on January 25.
They will also play two Test matches during the tour in February.