GEORGE TOWN, Cayman Islands, CMC – Estranged West Indies captain Chris Gayle said Thursday he was fully committed to playing for the regional squad but said the ongoing contracts dispute still needed to be settled before the top-tier players could return to action.
“Definitely, that’s our priority – to play cricket,” said the talismanic Gayle, breaking his silence on the subject for the first time.
“That’s what we’ve gotten the talent to do, to represent your country and represent West Indies at whatever level. It’s always a privilege to play for West Indies and I’ve represented them for so many years. Hopefully everything will go [well] and … everyone will be back.”
Gayle, along with the top Windies players, made themselves unavailable for the Bangladesh series as their representative, the West Indies Players Association clashed with the West Indies Cricket Board over pay and contracts issues.
As a result, the players including Ramnaresh Sarwan and Shiv Chanderpaul, were overlooked for the Champions Trophy scheduled for South Africa later this month.
Mediation efforts, brokered by Guyana’s president Bharrat Jagdeo and headed by former Commonwealth secretary general Sir Shridath Ramphal, broke down this week after the two feuding parties failed to find common ground.
Gayle said the players were still proud to be West Indies cricketers but were content to let WIPA pave the way for any possible return to action.
“We’d love to put it (West Indies maroon cap) on very soon but if I can’t put it on on the field, I’ll actually have to wear it at home and wear it very proudly as well,” the 29-year-old quipped.
“I can’t give that particular answer [as to] when we will back out there [on the field] because there is a lot of ongoing things going on off the field. We’ll let our representatives settle everything and deal with it and handle it as professionally, as we have been doing.”
The dispute crippled the regional team, forcing selectors to turn to players with little or no international experience for the recent two Tests and three One-Day Internationals against Bangladesh.
It resulted in a whitewash for the Windies in both series, giving Bangladesh their first-ever overseas series win.
Gayle said he regretted the turn of events.
“It’s sad but this is how it is,” he lamented.
“The last thing we wanted to do was bring the game into disrepute and make the cricket have to suffer.”
Gayle, however, avoided the topic of any possible return as captain once the dispute was solved.
“I don’t know [about the captaincy], it’s not my cricket,” he stressed.
“I didn’t say I owned the game or anything like that. Whatever the case might be, I’m ready for it. Life goes on.”
Gayle is currently in the Cayman Islands as part of the Digicel Cricket Clinics.
