PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad CMC – Regional players’ union, West Indies Players Association (WIPA), has come to Chris Gayle’s defence over his controversial comments made in a highly publicised radio interview. Their move follows an announcement by the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) last Sunday that Gayle would be required to meet with the selectors, the WICB management and the West Indies team management, before he could be considered for selection for the India series.
WIPA said yesterday, however, that Gayle had spoken in a private capacity since he was not employed by the Board.
“WIPA wishes to point out that the interview given by Mr Gayle … was in fact given by Mr Gayle in his private capacity since he had neither a retainer contract, match/tour contract with the WICB nor had he been selected to a WICB squad or was participating in any WICB-sanctioned match or event at the time the referenced interview was conducted,” WIPA said in a media release.
“In this instance, Mr Gayle was acting in a truly private capacity.”
Gayle was excluded from the Windies squad for the first two One-Day Internationals against India here next week, with the WICB noting that the left-hander would be given a chance to explain his comments made during the interview aired in Jamaica in April.
During that interview, the former captain blasted the WICB over their indifferent attitude to his recovery from injury, and his subsequent non-selection for the Pakistan series.
It followed his decision to play in the Indian Premier League while opting out of the one-day and Test series against Pakistan.
WIPA also expressed some concern about the nature of Gayle’s meeting with the WICB.
“The proposed meeting is one of very broad composition encompassing not only the WICB selectors but WICB management and West Indies team management,” WIPA said. “This begs the question as to the type and scope of the meeting being proposed.”
WIPA said they would be taking up Gayle’s non-inclusion as his performances obviously warranted his selection.
“The content of (the selectors) notes including the actions already taken by the selectors with regard to Mr Gayle up to this point and the stated future intentions must therefore be carefully examined and evaluated,” the players union said.
“Since there can be no doubt that Mr Christopher Gayle’s immediate past and present performances have been world class and he is clearly not ineligible, this is an exercise WIPA will be undertaking.”