The enigma that is Chris Gayle

[mikesiva]

http://caribbeancricket.com/news/2011/08/07/3223

"CaribbeanCricket.com has learnt that Chris Gayle has applied to the West Indies Cricket Board for an unconditional No Objection Certificate (NOC) for the next three years. What this confirms is what had been suspected but never announced by Gayle – that he has as his priority playing in international Twenty20 leagues across the globe and that he will only make himself available to play for the West Indies when these leagues are not on."

[shankycricket]

Hardly a surprise really.And I dont blame Gayle.The WICB have treated him in an appalling manner.What incentive would he have to reject those leagues and instead play for WI?

[GGAS]

http://caribbeancricket.com/news/2011/08/07/3223

"CaribbeanCricket.com has learnt that Chris Gayle has applied to the West Indies Cricket Board for an unconditional No Objection Certificate (NOC) for the next three years. What this confirms is what had been suspected but never announced by Gayle – that he has as his priority playing in international Twenty20 leagues across the globe and that he will only make himself available to play for the West Indies when these leagues are not on."

[mikesiva]

Well, it seems to have come back from the brink, though it seems to have been handled in a very Caribbean way - lots of talking, with no definite result....

http://www.espncricinfo.com/westindies/ ... 29493.html

'Chris Gayle, the West Indies batsman, and WICB chief Ernest Hilaire have held a one-on-one meeting in an attempt to resolve issues that are keeping the opener out of international cricket. Though there was no major breakthrough in the hour-long discussion at the WICB head office in Antigua on Tuesday, it was still a step forward from the acrimonious meeting in June that worsened relations between the two sides. Hilaire, the board CEO, was cautious when asked about how the meeting went. "We took a decision yesterday not to discuss the matter that is currently in front of us while it is still unresolved," Hilaire told Trinidad Express. "What I can tell you is that we had a frank and excellent discussion."'

[andy]

WICB need to sort out their disputes, they need chris gayle and they need him quickly.

[GGAS]

They don't need him to spoil the morale though. His attitude is poor and he's disrespected the team. If it wasn't for this he'd be the first man on the team sheet.

[andy]

They don't need him to spoil the morale though. His attitude is poor and he's disrespected the team. If it wasn't for this he'd be the first man on the team sheet.

to be fair no one really knows what happened there. There was a dispute between him and the WICB. He was fit to play and they didnt pick him so he played ipl, he needed to earn some money, its his job, WICB didnt pick him when he was fit, so he went and played for someone that actually wanted him.

[ChrisQ]

They don't need him to spoil the morale though. His attitude is poor and he's disrespected the team. If it wasn't for this he'd be the first man on the team sheet.

to be fair no one really knows what happened there. There was a dispute between him and the WICB. He was fit to play and they didnt pick him so he played ipl, he needed to earn some money, its his job, WICB didnt pick him when he was fit, so he went and played for someone that actually wanted him.

Of course people really knows what happened. It's there in the media to see.

Gayle missed matches in the World Cup apparently due to injury but reporters in India said they were told by bookies that Gayle would not be playing from the morning of the one of the day/night matches which Gayle missed (and this was long before any announcement of the team line-up had been made). The players were inconsistent as usual and Gibson said he expected better and indicated that some of them could be dropped. Gayle hit out at that. Things settled down and Gayle was supposed to be recovering from a hernia. He was not picked for the WI T20 match (naturally because he was NEVER eligible having not played a domestic T20 match since 2008 as he has been playing for some Aussie state in T20s during every domestic T20 tournament in the region) or the one day matches for Pakistan's tour (since he was supposed to be recovering from a hernia operation anyway and the test squad hadn't been announced yet from what I recall so he could very well have been recalled for the tests had he stayed) and then flew to India, presented the board with a fait accompli, asked for a no objection certificate (which was granted despite the board wondering about his abandoning the physio's programme - which is understandable since Fidel Edwards did the same thing in a previous IPL and ended up aggravating his injury so badly he required back surgery and was out for months) and then declared on radio that the coach was a "user", made various other allegations against the coach without proof, claimed that after his hernia operation there was no contact and that he was "forced" to go to India. Later when the transcripts of the messages between himself and the WICB physio concerning his recovery were published he very conveniently made no further mention of this claim of his that there was no contact during his recovery phase (possibly because he was caught out in a lie). He even clearly stated in his radio interview that from the time he was discussing his contract and the board had been giving him further time to make a decision on it that he told the CEO that he wanted to play for the entire IPL (note that in order to do so he must have wanted to miss the entire Pakistan series which was a part of the FTP and was quite accessible to Gayle long before the IPL was even thought of). So this rubbish claim that he wanted to play in the Pakistan series doesn't stand up to his own statements.

GG is also quite right in that he has disrespected his team. He made very unfavourable comments about Sammy (who didn't ask to be captain and who has never uttered a word in public denigrating Gayle by the way) and basically said nobody else in the team mattered and that people only came out to see him (which of course was not true as even in the last ODI in Kingston on a WEEKDAY I saw a lot of people there and Gayle was not playing). He has also carried on with positions that seem very contradictory - he's on record as having said that he was planning to give up the captaincy after the World Cup, but seemed to think it was fine to be a captain but not to have a central contract (how that would work is beyond me unless the entire team was without central contracts, but a person who hasn't undertaken a guarantee to be present for all matches cannot seriously expect to lead a group of people who have done so - it simply sets the wrong example). Also, after the World Cup was over (when he claimed he would have given up the captaincy) he then shows up at a match where a (ship) captain's outfit with a cap that said "captain". It doesn't take a degree in English to understand the allegory at work. And now with Mazhar Majeed (the spot-fixing manager involved in the ongoing) having claimed to have managed Gayle among others including Harbajhan Singh and Nathan Bracken we hear not a word of repudiation from Gayle and this claim by Majeed sits uncomfortably beside bookies apparently knowing what Gayle would do long before anybody else during the World Cup.

Gayle's refusal to apologize for his outburts (which even his most ardent fans would have to admit is unprofessional) even after the Jamaica Cricket Association asked him to do so, just underlines why Gayle is not needed. Any idiot could easily craft an apology (or have crafted for them such an apology) which could very carefully apologize for one's actions and not one's beliefs. Something along the lines of "I regret speaking about my colleagues on the radio and realize that it was unprofessional of me. I got caught up in the heat of the moment and realize that the radio was not the correct forum in which to express my grievances." There; absolutely nothing in that which would even indicated that doesn't stand behind his claims (at least two of which as I pointed (the "no contact" and "I want to play for WI in the Pakistan series") were quite clearly contradicted by either published messages or his own words). I'm sure he wouldn't even have go on radio to make the apology (as a WICB Director did when he made comments about Gayle). He could simply write a letter (as Chanderpaul did after his outburst). If Beckles and Chanderpaul can be grown up enough to make apologies for their actions (but not necessarily their beliefs) in order to maintain a working harmony with those who they HAVE to work with, why can't Gayle? What makes him so special? Does he walk on water or something? Or is it that he has the maturity of a 12-year old? Would anybody in their right mind really expect that if someone had done something similar in another field (let's say you are a project manager at a telephone company and did the same thing Gayle did and said the same thing about your colleagues from work), would they really get re-hired? Or would they be suspended indefinitely or simply fired? If Gayle had talked about persons in the IPL set up (maybe from Kolkata Knight Riders who didn't renew his contract) in the same way as he did about his coach, his teammates and the board, does anyone seriously expect the IPL team he spoke of in such a way would just let him walk back into the setup? I'm pretty certain if he went on radio and made claims like those against Shahrukh Khan (KKR owner), Dav Whatmore (KKR coach) and Gautam Gambhir (KKR captain) he would find that he would never set foot in a KKR dressing room ever again and he might even find it difficult to get into any other IPL team (Khan being worth hundreds of millions of US dollars, I could see him trying to use influence to keep anyone who said something like that about him without proof on the sidelines of the IPL permanently).

The most ironic thing about this whole sorry saga is that Gayle has made accusations with zero proof to back them up and in cases where information has been published which quite clearly contradicts his claims he abandons them; however most people seem to swallow his claims hook, line and sinker even though had Gayle been making claims like this against them (imagine if he said those things about you personally and professionally) they would quickly deny it and probably consider suing him for slander (especially in the UK - which is why I find the willingness to believe his every word without an iota proof as especially baffling among persons who live in the UK where such lawsuits could be quickly had).

[meninblue]

I was indeed suspicious of Gayle missing the WC match against India when the team was declared. India needed to win it i suppose. Then after the reports about the bookies being aware that Gayle will miss that game, my worries were confirmed. Some happenings in cricket are easy to understand. Some cricketers and all bookies think people are fool and can't spot the blunders.

[mikesiva]

I agree with cricketfan that the WICB need to sort out their contract disputes, and get back Gayle in the side, because without him at the top of the order, it's looking very inexperienced, with Barath opening with one of Powell or Brathwaite, and Kirk coming in one down. IMHO, it was ludicruous of the selectors to leave out Simmons under these circumstances. It might work for Bangladesh, but it won't work against India. With the impasse with Gayle continuing, Simmons must come back into the side for that tougher tour, but he might not, simply because the WICB are embroiled in a contract dispute with him too. So, it's not just Gayle....

Is he really bad for morale? There is a lot of support for Gayle within this current team. For example, when Samuels made his runs at Sabina, he ran to the stands, sought out Gayle, and touched fists with him. On his twitter, quite a few of the current players still go out of their way to joke with him.

As for the bookies knowing that Gayle wouldn't be playing, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to know that there were major problems in the camp between Gibson and the senior players. Any allegations like that about Gayle, Bracken and Harbhajan should be dismissed with the contempt it deserves until some actual proof occurs, otherwise we're entering the world of gossip, and run the risk of slander and libel.

Gayle felt that the WICB should be more accommodating of the IPL in the way they scheduled home series, while Shiv was also publicly critical of the way Gibson targetted all senior players in his criticism, including him and Sarwan. On that tour, Gibson apparently had problems with not just Gayle, but Shiv, Sarwan and Benn. What Gayle hit out at was the perceived hypocrisy that senior players were expected to carry the lesser members of the side, and when the senior players didn't perform, they were criticised, but the lesser players were not, as if they were not expected to perform.

And as for being a captain without having a central contract, there is a precedent. Ramdin just captained the WI against Bangladesh, despite not having a central contract....

Gayle has been very immature about the way he's handled his side of the affair. But the WICB have not been much better. The WICB director, Hilary Beckles, hasn't apologised for what he said, but for the way his speech was interpreted, which is not an apology at all! If you listen to his speech, it was clear he was calling Gayle a 'don', so there was no 'misinterpretation' there. Jimmy Adams was right to slam him for what he said. Has Chanderpaul apologised for what he said? Do you have a link to that story? Because I can't find one....

Quite simply, the issue is this - Gayle can earn more money playing for the 20/20 tournaments around the world than by playing for the WIndies. The IPL is the biggest money-earner in the business, and as long as the WICB schedules series that clash with the entire IPL, then problems like those with Gayle will persist.

[ChrisQ]

I agree with cricketfan that the WICB need to sort out their contract disputes, and get back Gayle in the side, because without him at the top of the order, it's looking very inexperienced, with Barath opening with one of Powell or Brathwaite, and Kirk coming in one down. IMHO, it was ludicruous of the selectors to leave out Simmons under these circumstances. It might work for Bangladesh, but it won't work against India. With the impasse with Gayle continuing,

Poor Powell and Kirk. They should probably wait until they are 60 before they are experienced enough to play..

Simmons must come back into the side for that tougher tour, but he might not, simply because the WICB are embroiled in a contract dispute with him too. So, it's not just Gayle....

You keep lumping others in to show that it's not just Gayle, but it really is. Big Bravo and Pollard came to a public understanding with the board concerning the IPL and it worked for them in 2011 and I see no reason why it wouldn't work for them in 2012 so they are definitely not in the same boat. Simmons has been in a dispute over his 2009-10 contract since 2010 yet he has played in every WI series since April 2011 (including a home series against the very same India you speculate he might not play against) apart from the mini-T20 tour to England which was going on at the same time as the Champions' League.

Is he really bad for morale? There is a lot of support for Gayle within this current team. For example, when Samuels made his runs at Sabina, he ran to the stands, sought out Gayle, and touched fists with him. On his twitter, quite a few of the current players still go out of their way to joke with him.

You mean like Benn (not in the team due to disciplinary issues?) and Taylor (not in the team because he is always breaking down? He broke down during the first-class season whilst Fidel (who was usually more prone to breaking down than Jerome) lasted the season and he broke down at some point in the IPL and featured in none of the later matches for his team).

One person within the current team does not "a lot of support" make.

As for the bookies knowing that Gayle wouldn't be playing, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to know that there were major problems in the camp between Gibson and the senior players.

What does that have to do with bookies knowing Gayle wouldn't be playing? Are you implying that it was only natural that they would know Gayle wouldn't be playing on that particular day because of major problems (which didn't arise until after the World Cup by the way) which hadn't yet occurred? Or are we saying that it was only natural that Gayle would apparently fake an injury during the World Cup to get out of playing due to major problems arising from Gibson expressing major disappointment in the senior players after the World Cup?

Any allegations like that about Gayle, Bracken and Harbhajan should be dismissed with the contempt it deserves until some actual proof occurs, otherwise we're entering the world of gossip, and run the risk of slander and libel.

Ah, the irony I was referring to. A known spot-fixing manager claims to manage Gayle, Brack and Harbhajan but his claims should be dismissed until there is proof as we enter the run the risk of slander and libel, but yet Gayle gets a pass in making unsubstantiated claims against his coach, team-mates and management (and in one case his claims are disproven) yet it isn't just gossip and we don't run the risk of slander and libel. How does that work? I know it can't be that it is because Majeed is Pakistani and Gayle is West Indian why what one says should be dismissed, while what the other says should be treated as the Gospel.

Gayle felt that the WICB should be more accommodating of the IPL in the way they scheduled home series, while Shiv was also publicly critical of the way Gibson targetted all senior players in his criticism, including him and Sarwan. On that tour, Gibson apparently had problems with not just Gayle, but Shiv, Sarwan and Benn.

Well I don't see the problem. When Shiv and Sarwan end up being in the top 5 in terms of having the lowest strike rate for the entire tournament (http://www.espncricinfo.com/icc_cricket ... 07672.html), Benn carries on with his attitudinal issues apparently and Gayle gives his usual inconsistent scores is Gibson supposed to express elation? When Sarwan got out to a silly shot that helped wrap up the game against England (in England's favour) was Gibson supposed to tell him "job well done"?

What Gayle hit out at was the perceived hypocrisy that senior players were expected to carry the lesser members of the side, and when the senior players didn't perform, they were criticised, but the lesser players were not, as if they were not expected to perform.

So if it is hypocrisy to expect senior players to perform better than less experienced players, why do WI "need" Gayle as you said at the beginning? Surely that would be hypocrisy as well to need Gayle instead of expecting the younger players to demonstrate maturity, wouldn't it?

And as for being a captain without having a central contract, there is a precedent. Ramdin just captained the WI against Bangladesh, despite not having a central contract....

Was Ramdin appointed captain though? I'm sure it was Sammy who was supposed to be captain but he was sick. Ramdin wasn't and isn't the captain for the tour. In Gayle's case we aren't talking about Gayle being a fill-in skipper for one game without a contract, we are talking about Gayle expecting to be appointed captain (the captain) without a contact.

Gayle has been very immature about the way he's handled his side of the affair. But the WICB have not been much better. The WICB director, Hilary Beckles, hasn't apologised for what he said, but for the way his speech was interpreted, which is not an apology at all!

This goes back to what I wrote above - Gayle could easily do the same and it would be an apology. Beckles did apologize (or at least so says the newspapers: http://jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/2011 ... orts2.html) and Shiv also apologized (via a private letter) to Gibson. The fact that neither of them may have actually retracted their statements is different from their apologies over making their statements in the way they did. And that is all Gayle has to do. The JCA didn't even ask Gayle to retract his statements but only to apologize (and note when the drama first started they asked for a retraction and an apology - the two obviously are not the same otherwise they would be asking for the same thing twice).

Has Chanderpaul apologised for what he said? Do you have a link to that story? Because I can't find one....

I'm surprised you couldn't since it was stated on CaribbeanCricket.com. I also never said Chanders apologized for what he said, but that he had written a letter of apology. A private letter like that could (and most likely) was on the same order as Beckles apology - along the lines of "sorry for any misunderstanding and I express regret for the way in which I made those statements".

Quite simply, the issue is this - Gayle can earn more money playing for the 20/20 tournaments around the world than by playing for the WIndies. The IPL is the biggest money-earner in the business, and as long as the WICB schedules series that clash with the entire IPL, then problems like those with Gayle will persist.

Ah this again. So it's the WICB's fault for having agreed to the FTP long before T20 ever came into existence and for continuing to agree to an FTP which would allow West Indian players who are not in the IPL (and a great many of whom will never be in the IPL) to earn a living. So mike, when the WICB scraps all West Indies tours totally and does as you suggest are you going to foot their legal bill when WIPA and the other boards sue them for:

(1) breaching agreements and understandings
(2) denying West Indian players the opportunity to earn/lost earnings

Well would you?

Because if WIPA is trying to sue the WICB for lost earnings for players who were not picked by the IPL franchises and were not guaranteed to be picked by the IPL franchises even if they did get NOCs good until 2200 (and thus were not guaranteed of the "lost" earnings they are suing for), I'm pretty sure they would sue the WICB for lost earnings for players who missed out on these series you keep saying they should just scrap.

[andy]

however the WICB, clearly have something they dont want share with people, hence why gayle continues to get overlooked...he said he was able to play, and they didnt pick him, so he earned a living in the ipl, where someone wants him.

[shankycricket]

Encouraging news

www.espncricinfo.com/westindies/content ... 37204.html

[OffStumpYorker]

Encouraging news

http://www.espncricinfo.com/westindies/ ... 37204.html

Shanky, thats not really encouraging, as the WICB have been saying the same thing for the last 6 months, in order for Gayle to be considered for selection, all he has to do is retract statements hes made in the past, which so far hes refused to do and I doubt he will retract the statements anytime soon as he beleives that hes in the right.

[mikesiva]

Interestingly, the Jamaica Cricket Association (JCA) appointed Gayle as captain of the Jamaica team for the regional Super50 competition going on now, and the WICB asked the JCA to remove him as captain, but according to reports, the JCA turned down that request....

http://westindiescricketinsider.com/201 ... a-captain/

"WICB CEO Dr. Ernest Hilaire has directly questioned JCA President Lyndel Wright and the JCA regarding the Association’s decision to ratify the appointment of Chris Gayle as Captain for the Regional Super 50 Competition in Guyana. Gayle joined the team last week and led Jamaica to a thumping 7 wicket win against the Leeward Islands yesterday in their opening match. Jamaica leads their group with 8 points after earning 4 batting and bowling bonus points. Dr. Ernest Hilaire upon hearing the reports that Gayle would be Jamaica’s captain contacted Wright regarding the decision. Hilaire reportedly told Mr. Wright that he was disappointed that Gayle had been named Jamaica’s captain and asked the JCA to reconsider such decision. Wright then raised a grouse with Dr. Hilaire as he said the JCA and the WICB had an agreement from a previous meeting that the JCA would be involved in all meetings regarding the Chris Gayle issue, but that this was not followed. Wright then told WICB CEO Dr. Ernest Hilaire that the JCA had the right to appoint the captain it sees fit as best for Jamaica’s cricket and it stood by its decision to appoint Gayle as captain. Following the conversation, it is understood Wright raised the matter with members of the JCA board and they unanimously supported Gayle as captain. This move is an unprecedented one with regards to a WICB CEO directly questioning the autonomous decisions of a cricket association."

Well, it doesn't seem that the WICB is that serious about looking for a resolution to the impasse with Gayle either....