Clive Lloyd breaks silence on West Indies' 27 all-out debacle: 'Mental side of our game needs to improve'

Here's what Clive Lloyd had to say about West Indies being bundled out for 27 against Australia in Jamaica.

Former West Indies captain Clive Lloyd, who oversaw World Cup wins in 1975 and 1979, finally broke his silence on the team from the Caribbean being bundled out for 27 against Australia in Jamaica. The Roston Chase-led side suffered a 0-3 defeat at the hands of Pat Cummins and co. However, it was the abject surrender in the final innings of the pink-ball Test that resulted in severe criticism of the Windies.

Clive Lloyd breaks silence on West Indies being all out for 27 against Australia. (AP)

After being dismissed for 27, West Indies registered the second-lowest Test total. The side came ever so close to posting the lowest score in the history of Test cricket, but a misfield allowed them to scrape past the figure. The lowest score in Tests belongs to New Zealand (26 in 1955).

After the 27-all-out debacle, Cricket West Indies (CWI) extended invitations to Clive Lloyd, Brian Lara, and Sir Vivian Richards to participate in the emergency meeting, which will soon take place to deliberate on the possible reasons behind West Indies' loss.

"We have to examine all aspects of West Indies cricket from grassroots to the international level. Everything must be looked at closely and carefully. West Indies cricket is an institution. It has given so much to the people of this region, and we must do all we can to revive it," Lloyd said in a statement provided to ESPNcricinfo. "

"I'm always available to help in any way. How we can marry the ideas we have with what is necessary and have healthy discussion on the way we move forward, that's what I'm thinking. It has been nearly 100 years since we have been playing top-class Test cricket and we have to get it right," he added.

'Mental side of our game...'

Lloyd also didn't mince his words, stating that the mental side of the West Indies' game needs to improve if they are to pose a challenge to the other teams.

In the series against Australia, Brandon King was the only West Indies batter apart from Anderson Phillip to average over 20 in the three games. King's 75 in Grenada was the highest individual score from either side in the series, which posed a serious challenge for the batters from both sides.

"We need a couple of Larry Gomes, more batsmen like him. We need batsmen who put a heavy price on their wickets and, when they get in, look to stay in. There is nothing wrong with digging in and 'batting ugly'. We have to find ways of fighting, occupying the crease, and staying in for long periods to wear down the bowlers. We have not been doing that," Lloyd said.

"Obviously, the mental side of our game needs to improve. We have to go back to the basics. We have to look at schools' cricket, club cricket, and first-class cricket - are we playing enough? We also have to look at the pitches - how are we preparing them and how they are playing," he added.