David Lloyd (cricketer) : biography

Lloyd became a regular one-day player for Lancashire in 1969, playing 16 matches that year and scoring 342 runs at 22.80. Lancashire did not utilise Lloyd’s bowling in the one day games that year, though he did take four first-class wickets at 17.50, and continued to improve with the bat, scoring his second century, 102*, and reaching 1,238 runs from 27 matches at 31.74 – the first time he had topped 1,000 runs in a season.

Lloyd collected three consecutive winner’s medals for the Gillette Cup in 1970, 1971 and 1972 following finals victories over Sussex, Kent and Warwickshire. He scored over 1,000 runs in each of these seasons, and took 33 wickets throughout. 1972 saw 12 of these wickets taken at 28.25, and 1,510 runs at 47.18, including six centuries, making that year Lloyd’s most successful season. He struggled in the one day games, however scoring only 290 runs at 16.11, nevertheless he was awarded the captaincy for 1973. The captaincy did nothing to affect his form, scoring 1,405 first-class runs that season at 40.14, including three centuries – one of which was a career best 195. He also took 31 wickets at 28.28. He also played 24 one day matches, scoring 538 runs at 33.63 including a career best 113.

Lloyd returned from Australia in 1975 following injury, and led Lancashire to their fourth Gillette title of the 1970s.

Lloyd stepped down from the Lancashire captaincy in 1977, and was awarded a benefit year for 1978 which saw a then-record £40,171 raised.

England

Lloyd made his England ODI debut on 7 September 1973 at The Oval, London against the West Indies under the captaincy of Mike Denness. In this 55-over match, England were reduced to 189/9, Lloyd making only eight before being run out. The West Indies reached the target from 42.2 overs, for the loss of only two wickets. He was nevertheless called up to the Test squad for the second Test against India on 20 June 1974 at Lord’s. Opening the batting in place of Geoffrey Boycott, Lloyd scored 46 as England reached 629 all out, thanks largely to a 188 from Dennis Amiss, 118 from Denness, and 106 from Tony Greig. India made 302 in their first innings reply, Lloyd bowling only two overs for four runs. Following on, India were dismantled by Geoff Arnold (four wickets) and Chris Old (five wickets), falling to 42 all out and giving England victory by an innings and 285 runs.

Lloyd kept his place for the third Test against India at Edgbaston on 4 July. Batting first, and with the first day lost to rain, India were dismissed for 165 and by the end of day two, England were 117/0, with both Amiss and Lloyd not out with half-centuries. The next day, Amiss was dismissed for 79, however while in partnership with Denness (100) and Keith Fletcher (51*), Lloyd went on to score 214* from 396 balls, He hit 17 fours in his 448-minute innings, helping England to 459/2 declared. India were dismissed for 216, giving England another innings victory and the series 3–0. Lloyd thus ended his first Test series with a 260.00 Test batting average. He then went on to face India in two ODI matches at Headingley and The Oval on 13 and 15 July 1974. In the first, he made 34 from 63 balls as England won by four wickets, and in the second he scored 39 from 81 as England won by six wickets.

Lloyd then faced Pakistan at Headingley on 25 July and Lord’s on 8 August, making 48, nine, 23 and 12* as both matches ended in draws. England then met Pakistan at the Kennington Oval on 22 August for the third Test, where Pakistan reached 600/7 declared in the first innings thanks to a knock of 240 from Zaheer Abbas. In reply, Amiss hit 183 and Fletcher scored 122, however Lloyd only managed four in the first innings, and Pakistan could only make 94/4 before the match ended in a draw. Lloyd went on to play both ODI matches, scoring 116* in the first match from 159 balls, though in a losing cause and followed up only by four in the second match.

Lloyd then travelled to Australia to face the home team for the 1974–75 Ashes series. The first two Test matches took place in December. During the first, on 13 December at Perth, he scored 49 and 35 as Australia took a nine wicket victory. On 26 December they met again at Melbourne cricket ground, for a drawn match where Lloyd score 14 and 44. The following day, England and Australia played an ODI match at Melbourne. Lloyd made 49 from 95 balls as England won by three wickets. Returning to the Test matches, Lloyd scored 19 and 26 against the home side at the SCG on 4 January 1975, followed by four and five at Adelaide on 25 January. Both matches saw heavy defeats for England. Lloyd’s Test average had now dropped down into the 40s, and following an injury which forced him to return home, he did not play Test cricket again. He had averaged only 24.50 from the four Test matches, scoring only 196 runs in all from eight innings, and John Arlott wrote in 1984 that, "in a side routed by the `heart-line’ attack of Lillee and Thomson, [Lloyd] was effectively shocked and shattered out of Test cricket."