Judging by the pitiful batting performances from the West Indies in the first two ODIs with Pakistan, it would seem that they are missing Chris Gayle more than he is missing them.
Such is the scarcity of talent in West Indies cricket that the WICB can ill-afford an undignified slanging match with its best batsman and former captain.
Gayle really rubbed salt into the wound by scoring a blistering 55 ball hundred in his first match for Bangalore having just arrived by plane from the Caribbean – it would seem that Gayle is far too cool for jet lag.
The IPL versus international cricket conundrum could easily be solved by inserting a window for the IPL into the international schedule, and whilst we certainly have no love of the IPL here at The Reverse Sweep, this does appear to be the most sensible thing to do.
But until it does cricket boards like the WICB would be well advised to apply a more intelligent approach to its best players.
For example, the WICB could have publicly suggested to Gayle that they would allow him to miss the ODI series with Pakistan to play in the IPL, providing that he committed to participate in the Test series that follows.
Faced with the probable uproar that a refusal of this compromise would likely have provoked, Gayle would doubtless have complied.
As it is, the WICB is now faced with the very real prospect of a long-drawn out stand-off with its best batsman and possibly his premature retirement from international cricket. If even half of what Gayle says about the lack of communication from the WICB is true, then the WICB has made yet another colossal cock-up.
Whilst Gayle is not entirely innocent in this sorry tale, it is the WICB who should take most of the blame for the way they have completely mishandled the situation. Sadly, the lunatics took over that particular asylum a long, long time ago.
It takes a lot to make the PCB appear competent, but the continued ineptitude of the WICB is doing just that.
A coup d’etat at the WICB is long overdue. Now is the time to hand over the reins of power to the likes of Sir Viv Richards, Michael Holding and Clive Lloyd.
Like Obi-Wan Kenobi was for Princess Leia, that really is West Indian cricket’s only hope.
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Judging by the pitiful batting performances from the West Indies in the first two ODIs with Pakistan, it would seem that they are missing Chris Gayle more than he is missing them.
Posted by: magic bullet | Thursday, September 01, 2011 at 11:40