St. John's (Antigua), Dec 14 (IANS): The West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) has paid glowing tributes to legendary former skipper Clive Lloyd for his 50 years of service to the game.

Lloyd made his entry into international cricket on December 13, 1966 in his first Test against India at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai, reports CMC.

WICB President Dave Cameron has hailed Lloyd as a true pioneer and a man of vision as well as an outstanding ambassador and one of the game's greatest leaders.

"We would like to take this opportunity to congratulate Mr. Lloyd on this, his golden anniversary on the international stage," said Cameron on Tuesday.

"We say a whole-hearted 'thank you' to a man who gave all he had to the sport and to the people."

Lloyd scored 82 and 78 not out to help the West Indies defeat India by six wickets back in 1966 when he stepped onto the international stage for the first time.

Lloyd led the West Indies in 74 Test matches and won 36 and was at the helm when they won the World Cup in 1975 and 1979.

"We all agree that his vision and leadership led to one of the greatest periods in West Indies cricket as he captained and bonded the regional side into one of the greatest sporting teams the world will ever see," added Cameron.

"He also earned great respect as an ICC match referee and Chairman of the ICC Cricket Committee. In all he did, both on and off the field, the former Captain gave all he had. He is one of the greatest cricketers of all time."

Lloyd played 110 matches; scored 7,515 runs (average 46.67) with a top score of 242 not out among his 19 centuries.

He retired in 1985, and since then he has contributed at various levels as a coach, selector, mentor and advisor.