Robert Bailey, Freelance Writer

CLIVE LLOYD, the manager/team coordinator of the West Indies team said yesterday he has been asked by the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) to stay on for the team?s tour to England this year.

Lloyd, who was speaking after the team?s training session at Kensington Oval yesterday, said: ?Yes, I was asked by the board but we are still in discussions.

team on track

Lloyd, who was also the manager of the West Indies team that finished runners-up to Australia at the ICC Champions Trophy competition last year, also said this West Indian team was on track to emulate his World Cup winning sides of 1975 and '79.

I think that they look very professional in what they are about and I think they have concentrated on what we have said and they are really looking pretty good at the moment,? said Lloyd, who was the captain of those teams.

I thought in the game against Pakistan they really looked very professional in their performance and I hope that they will continue that through for the rest of the tournament, he said.

My job is to help with the team and to see that things run smoothly and, with the help of Imran Khan, it is to see that the guys do the right things at the nets and see if we can repair any faults or anything like that.

I am also a part of strategy planning in the team?s meetings where we have to discuss all sort of things. We discuss the selection situation. The last say is left to the coach and the captain, but I give my views, Lloyd said.

Meanwhile,middle-order batsman Shivnarine Chanderpaul said he was keen to return to the batting form he showed on the recent tour of India.

My form is there but I am just not getting any big totals. I need to get some scores and start to get my flowing going again, Chanderpaul said.