Sir Clive captained the West Indies in three World Cups, winning in 1975 (scoring a century), 1979 and the 1983 final.

In 1971, he was named a Wisden Cricketer of the Year. He captained the West Indies between 1974 and 1985 and directed their rise to become the greatest Test and One Day International team of the 20th century; only Australia achieved comparable success. He is considered one of the most successful Test captains in the history of West Indies Cricket. During his captaincy, the side had a run of 27 matches without defeat, which included 11 wins in succession. He was the first West Indian player to earn 100 international caps.

In 2009, Sir Clive was inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame. In 2022, Lloyd received a knighthood at an investiture ceremony at Windsor Castle in England.