I hope and pray that our cricket will take a turn for the better in the next year or so Clive Lloyd Billionaire reveals Windies plan

Texan billionaire Allen Stanford plans to launch an annual Twenty20 tournament involving 17 Caribbean nations and a professional Super League.

"It augurs well for the future of our cricket," said Lloyd.

"It's going to be well organised and our players have a lot to gain from it. I hope it can turn our cricket around."

Lloyd is the most successful West Indies captain of all time, having led them to victory in 36 Test matches and the 1975 and 1979 World Cup finals.

He later had a spell as team manager but was unable to arrest a decline in standards which has seen the team sink to eighth in the current International Cricket Council ratings.

"The time has come for us to bite the bullet and try and get to those halcyon days again," said Lloyd.

I do sincerely hope the project works out as WI cricket does need a boost From IBAE Have your say on TMS

The new concept will differ from traditional West Indies cricket in that there will be no composite sides like the Leeward and Windward Islands, with each country fielding its own team.

Lloyd believes new talent will be unearthed as a result of Stanford's plans.

"This is a very good incentive. I feel that in order for us to get back to the top of the ladder, we must improve our infrastructure, improve our domestic cricket, and once we have a good structure, we'll have better Test players.

WINDIES RECORD FROM 1/1/2000 TO PRESENT 69 Tests Won 15, lost 37, draws 17 135 ODIs Won 55, Lost 71, No results 9

"You can't say we'll do this, and do that and not have a plan. You must have a plan if you want to go forward," he said.

Stanford's plan is the biggest single investment for cricket in the region, beating the current �10.5m deal with West Indies team sponsors Digicel.

But Lloyd believes West Indies cricket must do more to attract further investment from other sources.

"Nothing will progress these days without money. Money is the name of the game. We must go out and sell our cricket to all these corporate bodies," he commented.

There was more good news, meanwhile, when the West Indies Cricket Board and Players' Association, Wipa, issued a joint statement confirming that a full strength team would be involved in the forthcoming tour to Australia.

The two have been at loggerheads for most of the year in a dispute over sponsorship and player contracts.

It led to 10 players, including Brian Lara, Chris Gayle and Ramnaresh Sarwan, missing a tour to Sri Lanka.

Negotiations are continuing over one clause in the tour contracts.