LONDON, CMC – Chris Gayle has again threatened to step down from the post of West Indies captain.
Gayle also admitted to the Guardian newspaper in Britain that he does not particularly care for Test cricket, and prefers Twenty20 over the traditional game.
“To be honest with you, there’s a possibility I might give it up – I will be giving it up, shortly,” said Gayle.
The 29-year-old Gayle bemoaned the burden of being West Indies captain which came sharply into focus last week with his arrival two days prior to the opening Test against England at Lord’s.
When West Indies lost the Test by 10 wickets inside three days, Gayle was heavily criticised for his decision to arrive so close to the start of the game.
“Yeah, it’s definitely been a rough week,” he said. “From when I landed in England, it’s been rough, and when we lost the game, it’s been even tougher. We were depressed. It wouldn’t have been a big deal, if I hadn’t been captain. That’s how life is. All eyes are on you, and all things point to you. Once things don’t go well, fingers are going to point.”
He added: “Yeah, they [the media] make it look like this [Test] was always here, like I want to choose the Indian Premier League over this. That’s why I said everybody knew this was always going to be the situation, so I don’t see why people make it a big fuss and a big deal.”
Gayle disclosed that he was never comfortable with the job, and had initially agreed to take it on a temporary basis.
He said his misgivings about the role were similar to those of Shivnarine Chanderpaul, but he relented when West Indies Cricket Board officials persisted in asking him to take on the role full time.
“I’m pretty much similar to Shiv when it comes to everything like talking to people and stuff,” he said.
“It’s a lot of pressure. You’re always in the media. . .At the time, when I was asked [two years ago], I didn’t want to be the captain.
He continued: “That’s when it all started. We won the series, and then I said to them, whenever Sarwan is fully fit, I am ready to step down. Maybe they saw something different, something totally different, and they asked me to be captain.
“I thought hard about it. I didn’t want to be captain, I wanted to have more free time. I didn’t want that added pressure at that particular time, but they actually insist, insist, insist, so I said OK. So I thought, just get on with it.”
Gayle observed however, that he has grown into the role and it has also helped his personal development.
“I’m happy because it’s done a lot for me as a person,” he said. “It made me more outspoken, getting to interact with people, to be able to speak to a group – the majority of the time you have to give some sort of speech.
“You start off slowly, getting better and better, getting that confidence in yourself. It brought that out of me which I had inside but, you know, didn’t want to express it – but as a captain you have to.”
He concluded that the former West Indies players did not understand the challenge his side face in trying to uphold the finest traditions in the game.
“In their time, they dominated Test cricket,” he said. “They don’t know what it is like actually to lose and how to deal with it. They don’t know how to deal with losing, and then try and get a couple of wins under our belt.”
