Chris Gayle vs West Indies Cricket Board

[Sir john]

Windies cricket facing many dilemmas

AS the life is gradually squeezed out of West Indies cricket by supposedly responsible bodies scrapping for its control, it was inevitable that its first-class tournament that started on Friday (still unsponsored and known simply as the "Regional Four-Day") should be as surreal at it is. For the first time since it was launched in 1966 as the Shell Shield, one of the participating teams, Guyana, has had all its home matches shifted to neutral territory by the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) as a result of an acrimonious power struggle between the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) and the government that has only worsened. In addition, its scheduled Test against Australia has been withdrawn. In another, if unrelated, episode the Jamaica Cricket Association (JCA) picked Chris Gayle for the opening match against the Windward Islands, as it had done in last October's regional 50-overs tournament, even though the WICB, the parent body, had declared him ineligible for selection on its teams. It was a decision that seemed to send a pertinent message to the WICB. Already, it was no secret that the JCA was dissatisfied that Sabina Park, a ground with a long and proud history, was not scheduled for a Test in the forthcoming series against Australia, even after the third was shifted from Guyana. Then there is the mystifying case of Darren Sammy, Gayle's successor as captain who appears to be in the post in perpetuity. A week after he fetched US$55,000 from the Sylhet Royals in the new T20 Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) auction, Sammy opted out. One reason, he declared in a lengthy statement, was to be "properly and fully prepared for the challenges" of the series against Australia. In addition, he said, Windward Islands cricket was "blossoming and making significant strides". His contributions as captain and all-rounder were "integral to this process" and he was keen on serving his team. It was a surprising contradiction, therefore, when the Windwards arrived in Kingston with Sammy back in St Lucia. The report of why he was missing was given, not by the WICB, but by team manager Ian Allen, who said it had been a WICB "request" for the first match. "He has had a long couple of years in terms of constant cricket and the understanding is that they want him to get some rest for the upcoming Australian series" Allen explained. There will be other "understandings" for, given his record, Sammy's place in the team has come under constant, and understandable, scrutiny. The WICB needs to make the cause for his absence clear. While Gayle is on parade on his home patch for the first time since the regional Super50 last October, this is likely to be the left-handed opener's last appearance as he is one of the star turns in the BPL (at a price of US$551,000) and the fourth Indian Premier League (IPL) season (US$550,000 and counting). Nor is Gayle the only one heading east to more lucrative pastures. Kieron Pollard and Dwayne Bravo have also added contracts in the new Bangladesh enterprise to those already renewed in the IPL. Eight more West Indians join them in Bangladesh over the next three weeks, while Sunil Narine (US$700,000), Andre Russell (US$450,000), Darren Bravo (US$100,000) and Kevon Cooper (US$50,000) were four snapped up in yesterday's auction for the imminent IPL season. Another 14 hopefuls put their names up but couldn't interest a buyer. Like their countryman Pollard before them, Narine, the finger-flicking spinner previously all but unheard of, and Kevon Cooper, the all-rounder, first came to the attention of the Indian franchises through their performances for Trinidad and Tobago in the Champions League in India. It is motivation for others but their team has to first qualify through the Caribbean T20, as the Red Force have now done three times out of four. It doesn't take a degree from St Augustine to appreciate the potential impact of all this on West Indies cricket. The Regional Four-Day goes from February 3 to the final April 7-10 (the exact dates of the first Test against Australia). The Australians are in the Caribbean from March 16 to April 29, immediately after which the West Indies head to England for three Tests, five ODIs and one T20I from May 5 to June 24. Acknowledging the reality of the lure of such hefty pay days, the WICB has provided NOCs (non objection certificates) to its contracted players signed on in Bangladesh. Even though it means most miss the first four rounds of its first-class schedule, they will be available against Australia. It is those not under contract, specifically Narine, who must make the difficult choice if chosen for the West Indies against Australia and England while the IPL is in full swing. Two new IPL signings, Darren Bravo and Andre Russell, are contracted so will presumably be on call to the WICB. Narine is not. His wicket-taking potential makes him a strong contender as much for Test as T20 cricket but, while his Trinidadian teammates, Pollard and Dwayne Bravo, have stated that their goal remains the Test team, they have already had the benefits of several seasons with various global T20 leagues. The choice might not be so clear-cut for a player yet to bowl a ball to earn his keep from the Kolkata Knight Riders. As lucrative T20 tournaments continue to multiply (the BPL is the latest) they present a dilemma for both players and, even more so, the game, especially in the West Indies. As many as 12,000 fans turned out to matches at the Sir Viv Richards Ground and Kensington Oval in the recent, unsponsored Caribbean T20; the DLF IPL and Australia's KFC Big Bash pack in five times that number. It's a no-contest. No wonder so many West Indies players put their names up for the IPL auction. In the meantime, the 2012 Regional Four-Day is underway, watched by a sprinkling of die-hard supporters, with matches at neutral venues and the best players away on duty in Dhaka, Chittagong and other Bangladeshi locations.

http://www.trinidadexpress.com/sports/Windies_cricket_facing_many_dilemmas-138726279.html

[Magneto]

The biggest dilemma is to whether to let Sir John support them anymore.

[Ultimate_Game]

I see Indian cricket going the same way if buffoons like Srinivasan, Rajeev Shukla, Sharad Pawar, Srikkanth, Shashank Manohar etc. keep on ruling BCCI and Indian cricket.

[Era of Gold]

So much talent, so many good players through the worst of years and yet the WI is in this state. Sad.

[Sachinism]

Gayle and WICB patch things up? Chris Gayle, the West Indies batsman, is scheduled to meet officials from the West Indies Cricket Board and CARICOM in St Vincent on Monday to discuss his future with the West Indies team. The Jamaica Gleaner has reported that Gayle is likely to either submit an apology or retract his comments made against the board and the coach Ottis Gibson during a radio interview. "A meeting has been arranged for tomorrow morning (today) between Gayle, the WICB and a few heads of government in a bid to arrive at an amicable solution that could result in Gayle returning to the team," Fritz Harris, the Jamaica Cricket Association (JCA) secretary, was quoted as saying in the paper. "As we are all aware, there have been efforts to have the matter resolved in recent weeks, including all the workings coming out of CARICOM etc, and I suspect that this meeting is a sort of culmination of the efforts." In October last year, the WICB had said that Gayle could return to the West Indies team if he retracted his critical statements about the board. Gayle had initially said the board was playing mind games with him by not specifying exactly what he needed to apologise for. That meant the already longstanding impasse between Gayle and the board continued, with even the Jamaican prime minister becoming involved by coming out in support of Gayle. In February this year, the WICB chief executive Ernest Hilaire said he wanted Gayle to make his priorities clear, saying 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. Gayle last played for West Indies in the 2011 World Cup, and has since taken part in Twenty20 leagues around the world, including the IPL, the Big Bash League in Australia and the BPL in Bangladesh. He has turned out for Jamaica in the domestic one-day and four-day competitions. He was left out of the WICB's 30-man squad for a fitness and training camp ahead of the home series against Australia. However, he was spotted in the stands during the second one-dayer against Australia on Sunday, in St Vincent. http://www.espncricinfo.com/westindies/content/current/story/557964.html

[Crookbond]

Nope, Who said this ?

[Sachinism]

Hearing things on twitter

[Crookbond]

Hearing things on twitter

Link please.

[Cricket Tragic]

They kept showing the clown during the match but I've got the TV on mute. Why is Gayle made out to be such a big deal? Genuine question. His ODI record shows nothing other than a wonderful ability to minnow bash. He has played some good test knocks but he does not deserve so much of attention.

[Crookbond]

They kept showing the clown during the match but I've got the TV on mute. Why is Gayle made out to be such a big deal? Genuine question. His ODI record shows nothing other than a wonderful ability to minnow bash. He has played some good test knocks but he does not deserve so much of attention.

Considering the current condition of WI cricket I believe he will be a good addition in the ODIs. He can bowl a few overs too.

[jairamesh]

Gayle scouting for RCB.

[Sachinism]

Rumours getting stronger on twitter

[Stuge]

I will be very happy if he does play for WI again .

[Zelig]

They kept showing the clown during the match but I've got the TV on mute. Why is Gayle made out to be such a big deal? Genuine question. His ODI record shows nothing other than a wonderful ability to minnow bash. He has played some good test knocks but he does not deserve so much of attention.

v Australia 29.33 v England 43.00 v India 36.81 v New Zealand 35.11 v Pakistan 31.11 v South Africa 35.00 v Sri Lanka 24.73 Not too bad :hmmm: His ODI avg is better than Sehwag. 39 vs 34. And, it gets even better if you consider only the matches played in SA, England and Australia. :((

[Zelig]

I just checked the CC.com. It looks like the Gayle issue will be settled today. He is expected to make an apology in a high-level meeting. The PMs of the Caribbean Nations are involved

[Magneto]

Gayle will surely slap someone in the high-level meeting.

[saneindian]

Will he get along with Sammy and Gibson? Hope he can. May mean a series loss for the Aussies if he gets to play the ongoing ODI series.

[Sir john]

its between gayle vs caricom vs wicb vs jca

[Cricket Tragic]

v Australia 29.33 v England 43.00 v India 36.81 v New Zealand 35.11 v Pakistan 31.11 v South Africa 35.00 v Sri Lanka 24.73 Not too bad :hmmm: His ODI avg is better than Sehwag. 39 vs 34. And, it gets even better if you consider only the matches played in SA, England and Australia. :((

Avg of 33. That's mediocre. Sehwag's s/r is much higher and in any case, Sehwag is not really a great ODI batsman.

[Zelig]

Gayle's ODI average is 39 and not 33. His S/R is 83, not so bad considering the fact that he has played most of his innings on the sub-standard West Indies pitches.