The enigma that is Chris Gayle

[mikesiva]

Predictably, this is Gayle's response....

http://www.espncricinfo.com/westindies/ ... 38119.html

"They need to come clear and say what Chris Gayle should apologise for, and what should Chris Gayle retract, what are the terms, really and truly," Gayle told the Caribbean Media Corporation. "So they need to make it clear, rather than stating just one particular thing and leaving the public to speculate again, and just make this one big issue which I'm tired of, so they need to just cut it out now."

[mikesiva]

'Jamaica's prime minister Portia Simpson Miller has demanded that a resolution in the impasse between Chris Gayle and the West Indies Cricket Board be found quickly. Speaking at the Jamaica Cricket Association awards, Simpson Miller said that Gayle was being treated unjustly and deserved a place in the West Indies team. She also expressed concern that Sabina Park was not allocated a match for West Indies' upcoming home one-day and Test series against Australia. "Justice delayed is justice denied and we demand that a resolution be found as quickly as possible," Simpson Miller said on the Gayle issue. "Cricket is too important to the people of Jamaica and the West Indies for this to be left down the wicket." Gayle last played for West Indies in the 2011 World Cup, after which a conflict with the WICB has kept him out of the setup.'

http://www.espncricinfo.com/westindies/ ... 54583.html

[mikesiva]

"The WICB has asked Chris Gayle to make up his mind about his future with the West Indies team. In an email to the batsman, the WICB chief executive Ernest Hilaire wrote that Gayle could not ask for unconditional no-objection certificates (NOCs) to play domestic Twenty20 tournaments around the world and simultaneously make himself available for West Indies selection. The email was dated January 30 but made public in the past 24 hours. Hilaire said the WICB rules conformed to the ICC's operating manual and that a player would be granted an NOC to play a domestic tournament in another country on the condition that he be available for selection if an international series clashed with the tournament."

http://www.espncricinfo.com/westindies/ ... 54728.html

This is in reaction to the statements made recently by the Jamaican prime minister at a function hosted by the Jamaica Cricket Association (JCA). I wonder if the WICB got the approval of the JCA before sending out this release....

I guess not!

"The Jamaica Cricket Association (JCA) wishes to state its complete rejection and condemnation of the unjustified and disrespectful criticisms levelled by the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) against Prime Minister the Most Hon. Portia Simpson Miller for remarks made by her at the recently held annual awards function of the JCA. As a shareholder, the JCA finds it inexcusable that the WICB in their press release of February 20, 2011, could have made such a statement without consulting any of the WICB members in Jamaica, including the Vice President of the WICB Mr. Dave Cameron, along with Mr Lyndel Wright and Mr. Milton Henry who are Jamaica’s two representatives on the WICB. The JCA calls upon the President of the WICB Dr. Julian Hunte to publicly state which of the Board members were consulted before the release was sent out. The JCA further calls upon the President to state whether or not he sanctioned or sanctions the statement."

http://wicricnews.com/blog/jamaica-cric ... -statement

[GGAS]

Not surprisingly, Gayle has been left out of the training squad for the Australia series http://www.espncricinfo.com/westindies/ ... 55930.html

[andy]

[mikesiva]

Given the battle lines that have been drawn, I think that was predictable, cf....

But the fans are not pleased, even in St Vincent, which is a Windward island:

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/crick ... 6302428480

'Those missing Gayle the most - the fans - made their feelings clearly known as the West Indies capitulated in stunning style to Australia in Friday's first one-day international at the Arnos Vale Cricket Ground in St Vincent. The home team lost six wickets for seven runs on their way to being dismissed for 140 to lose by 64 runs, all while a chorus of "we want Gayle" rang out from the stands.'

[andy]

Given the battle lines that have been drawn, I think that was predictable, cf....

But the fans are not pleased, even in St Vincent, which is a Windward island:

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/crick ... 6302428480

'Those missing Gayle the most - the fans - made their feelings clearly known as the West Indies capitulated in stunning style to Australia in Friday's first one-day international at the Arnos Vale Cricket Ground in St Vincent. The home team lost six wickets for seven runs on their way to being dismissed for 140 to lose by 64 runs, all while a chorus of "we want Gayle" rang out from the stands.'

i know mate, i was messing around

[OffStumpYorker]

I see that Gayle is going to meet the WICB again tomorrow morning, after a meeting was arranged to include a few heads of government.

http://www.espncricinfo.com/westindies/content/current/story/557964.html

The question is will he apologise for the remarks that hes made in the past against Otis Gibson and the WICB?

[HarryPotter]

I doubt it, he acts as though he is bigger than cricket.

[mikesiva]

"The deal would have seen Gayle available for the current series against Australia, which ends on April 27. However, Gayle is yet to agree as he is contracted to play in the Indian Premier League which runs from April 4 to May 27 and the English County Twenty20 tournament. The Indian Premier League clashes with both the current Australia tour and West Indies tour of England from May 5 to June 24. CMC Sports says Gayle is keen on fulfilling all his contractual international Twenty20 obligations."

http://go-jamaica.com/news/read_article.php?id=36003

It's a bit naive of both parties to expect Gayle to miss half the IPL....

[braveneutral]

Mike, do you think we will reach a stage where there is a last-chance saloon?

[mikesiva]

Mike, do you think we will reach a stage where there is a last-chance saloon?

No, because I think the WICB need Gayle more than vice versa, for several reasons....

1) The fans want Gayle. Witness chants for Gayle on Friday in St Vincent, for example.

2) As former Antigua PM Lester Bird said, since the Windies are not winning, they need a 'star' when it comes to marketing the team, and Gayle is that kind of star to pull crowds.

3) The governments of Jamaica, Guyana and Trinidad have called on the WICB to work towards bringing Gayle back into the fold.

But there's another issue here...the WICB are keen to have a public "agreement" which restricts Gayle to only half of the IPL. Has the WICB arrived at similar agreements with their other IPL players, such as Darren Bravo, Marlon Samuels, Sunil Narine, Dwayne Bravo, Kieron Pollard and Andre Russell? If so, will they make those agreements public too?

The error the WICB keep making is in treating the Gayle issue as a special case....

[braveneutral]

Ah ok. Windies would do well to bring him back into the fold, but a bit of tough love never hurt anyone.

[mikesiva]

'Chris Gayle, the former West Indies captain, has signed a CARICOM-brokered agreement with the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB), but with a 'side-letter' whose contents are yet to be disclosed. "Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves [of St Vincent] provided a copy of Gayle's 'side letter'," a WICB release said. "The matter was discussed and the Board will respond to the Prime Minister shortly."'

http://www.espncricinfo.com/west-indies ... 58784.html

[mikesiva]

We could see Gayle in West Indies colours for the home series against New Zealand this summer....

http://www.windiesfans.com/index.php?op ... &Itemid=50

Like Narine, he wants to play the entire IPL, but could forego his T20 contract with Somerset in order to play for the Windies. But, like Simmons, he won't drop his lawsuit against the WICB, which is being undertaken on his behalf by WIPA. Considering that WIPA have a 12-0 record against the WICB in court and arbitration cases, that's hardly surprising. Instead, Gayle has encouraged the WICB to settle with WIPA out of court.