LONDON (CMC):

Clive Lloyd has added his voice to the number questioning the arrival of Chris Gayle from the Indian Premier League less than two days before the Lord's Test and the absence of Dwayne Bravo from the West Indies side visiting England.

Lloyd believes that Gayle's arrival from the IPL in South Africa last Monday ahead of the Test which opened on Wednesday was setting a bad example for the rest of the West Indies players.

"I found (Gayle's late arrival) pretty strange, because as captain you want to be there with your team early," said Lloyd in a wide-ranging interview with the Cricinfo website.

"Coming this early in England, you need to get some games under your belts, get accustomed to the conditions," he said. "It's a test of your character and your skills. That's why it's called a Test match. You've got to be on top of your game."

Lloyd also took a swipe at the West Indies authorities for leaving Bravo out of the Test squad because of fitness concerns.

"The point is we have a guy called Bravo, who is still playing in the IPL," said Lloyd. "He's one of our best all-rounders.

"Had he been here bowling-wise and catching, he would add a lot to the team. Whenever he plays in our team, our fielding goes up another 15 per cent."

Lloyd continued: "We miss him terribly. There's no doubt about it. I find that you shouldn't be choosing (domestic) one-day cricket over your Test match or Test series. Test matches are what we're known for."