Gayle not part of squad for Australia series
Windies board to meet Jamaican PM for discussions.
JAMAICA:
Former West Indies captain Chris Gayle has been left out of their preliminary squad for the limited-overs series against Australia at home as the Jamaican’s row with the regional cricket board rumbles on.
The West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) plans to meet Jamaica’s Prime Minister to discuss the damaging dispute which has resulted in strong criticism from fans, media and politicians in the Caribbean island over the treatment of Gayle. The WICB named a 30-man squad to attend fitness testing ahead of the series which begins on March 16 with the first of five One-Day Internationals (ODIs).
The squad, made up of 17 contracted players and 13 others ‘under consideration for selection’, will train in Barbados ahead of the series.
Gayle has not played for West Indies since the 2011 World Cup following a public spat with the board. Initially the dispute centred on Gayle’s commitments to Twenty20 cricket, including the lucrative Indian Premier League, but he was later asked to apologise for an interview in which he was critical of the board and coach Ottis Gibson.
Jamaica was surprisingly not selected as a venue for the three-match Test series against Australia despite traditionally being home to major test games.
Left-hander Gayle, one of the most explosive batsmen in the sport and who is particularly effective in the shorter forms of the game, was not available for comment.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 3rd, 2012.
Former West Indies captain Chris Gayle has been left out of their preliminary squad for the limited-overs series against Australia at home as the Jamaican’s row with the regional cricket board rumbles on.
The West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) plans to meet Jamaica’s Prime Minister to discuss the damaging dispute which has resulted in strong criticism from fans, media and politicians in the Caribbean island over the treatment of Gayle. The WICB named a 30-man squad to attend fitness testing ahead of the series which begins on March 16 with the first of five One-Day Internationals (ODIs).
The squad, made up of 17 contracted players and 13 others ‘under consideration for selection’, will train in Barbados ahead of the series.
Gayle has not played for West Indies since the 2011 World Cup following a public spat with the board. Initially the dispute centred on Gayle’s commitments to Twenty20 cricket, including the lucrative Indian Premier League, but he was later asked to apologise for an interview in which he was critical of the board and coach Ottis Gibson.
Jamaica was surprisingly not selected as a venue for the three-match Test series against Australia despite traditionally being home to major test games.
Left-hander Gayle, one of the most explosive batsmen in the sport and who is particularly effective in the shorter forms of the game, was not available for comment.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 3rd, 2012.