Published: Dec 12, 2016, 02:52 PM (IST)
Edited: Dec 12, 2016, 02:54 PM (IST)
The controversies between the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) and West Indies cricketers have been out in the open for quite a long time now, and one of the many accomplished players from the Caribbean, Chris Gayle, has once again spoken about it. Gayle said that the relationship between the board and its players has been bad and that is evidently hampering the quality of cricket of the team. Gayle spoke about himself as well as legends like Viv Richards, Clive Lloyd and Brian Lara who have had issues with the board and things have not changed yet. Recently, Darren Sammy was removed as the captain of the West Indies T20 side right after winning the ICC World T20 2016 for the Caribbean team. Sammy has criticised WICB during the post match ceremony in Mumbai after winning the T20 World Cup final against England.
Talking to Hindustan Times, Gayle said, “There are a lot of key players who miss due to circumstances. The relationship has been bad and the players had to make their own choices and move on in their careers. I can speak for myself. There are misunderstandings and they just can’t sit back. There are some good youngsters, so I am hopeful they will get to play Test cricket. I am hopeful to see more stars from this generation, making a name for themselves.”
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“It is about relationship,” Gayle emphasised, adding, “Sometimes if there are confrontations with senior players, it doesn’t look nice. At the same time, the youngsters who are watching this will do the same thing when they become senior players. It’s a process. Viv Richards, Clive Lloyd, Brian Lara all fell out with the board. We saw all this when we were youngsters and then we fell out. When we leave, we have a situation with a young Bravo now. So, it is an ongoing process. It hurts and the people are missing out.
“They have lost out on a lot of fans within the West Indies cricket arena because they wouldn’t come out to watch anymore. They hate what’s happening,” he concluded.
