CARL HOOPER SLAMS WEST INDIES CRICKET BOARD FOR IGNORING CHRIS GAYLE

Former West Indian captain, Carl Hooper, has criticised the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) for axing explosive batsman Chris Gayle from the series against Pakistan. He also opposed the decision to sack senior players, Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Ramnaresh Sarwan from the team.

Hooper told reporters, “The last series that Chris played in he made a triple hundred (333) against Sri Lankaat Galle. We continue to do the same thing in the Caribbean. We go to a major competition or series, are disappointing, we change the coach or players and expect things to change but it doesn’t.”

The former player further added, “Gayle, Sarwan and Chanderpaul are not playing in the one-day team; you hope replacements are up to it.”

Hooper also said that the board had a history of disrespecting players in this manner and that he was also one of the victims in the past.

The West Indies were unable to make an impression in the ICC World Cup 2011 and were knocked out in the quarter-final match against Pakistan. The team only managed to win matches against weaker opponents, but were below par against tough sides.

The team’s coach Ottis Gibson blamed the senior members for failing to lead from the front, as they failed to make any significant impression. The board also agreed with this, dropping the senior players from the home series against the Men-in-Green.

The new look team got off to a good start in the series, winning the only Twenty20 match against the visitors. However, they were unable to cope with the pressure of the One Day Internationals (ODIs), losing the first three out of the total five.

In the meantime, Gayle flew to India to take part in the cash rich Indian Premier League (IPL). He was hired by the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and made a blistering start for the franchise, smashing a brilliant ton. The flamboyant batsman missed playing for his country though, saying that national duty would have been his priority.

However, the board disagreed with the comments of the veteran player, saying that they tried their best to draft Gayle into the home series. The board also stated that Gayle refused to play against Pakistan.

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Chris Gayle and West Indies Cricket Board row rages on

West Indies Cricket Board chief, Ernest Hilaire, has said that the Board made every possible attempt to talk to opener Chris Gayle and convince him to play for the side in the series against Pakistan.

Hilaire made the remarks after Gayle recently said that the WICB did not talk to him before making their decision.

Currently Gayle is playing for the Indian Premier (IPL) League’s franchise Royal Challenger Bangalore (RCB), owned by one of the most renowned Indian businessman in the world, Vijay Mallya.

Gayle has been playing well in the team and has proved a match-winner for the team. However, the West Indies cricket team has lost the first two matches of their five-match series against Pakistan. This is the reason Hilaire wants Gayle to perform in the Pakistan tour, to give success to the Windies.

Hilaire stated, “We can dispel all that Chris Gayle said by releasing the letters and emails”. He also said, “You communicate with a player, you ask for his opinions, you ask for him to account on certain statements he made, you ask him what’s his position on certain things and you expect to be treated with a certain degree of confidence.”

Gayle has been under scrutiny for a long time, as he has a history of tiffs and disputes with the West Indies Cricket Board. However, the behaviour of the board towards its players is also very inconsiderate.

Nevertheless, Gayle had to speak up, not only \on his own behalf but also for other players.

Chris Gayle is an outstanding batsmen on the West Indies cricket team. He started his One Day International (ODI) career in 1999 against India in Toronto. He has been playing exceptionally well in the team but was unable to lift his teams fortunes in the ICC World Cup 2011. Gayle has played a total of 228 One Dayers, in which he has scored 8087 runs at an average of 39.06. The Windies’ player has so far scored 19 centuries and 43 half centuries. Gayle has struck 946 fours and 169 sixes in his 228 ODIs. This batting all-rounder is also known for his balling style and is known off-spin. The Jamaican player has taken 156 wickets at an average of 35.08.

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