It might not be his call but Chris Gayle is adamant that he intends to remain as West Indies captain.
“Times are tough but I’m determined to be the strong captain the team needs right now,” he wrote in his column in the Sydney Telegraph following the West Indies three-day, innings loss to Australia in the first Test on Saturday.
“Make no bones about it – our loss in Brisbane was not only disappointing but it was also downright embarrassing,” Gayle acknowledged. “When you have a bad loss like this, it’s to be expected that a lot of people are going to speculate over my captaincy.”
He added: “Some say I’m not the right person for the job. I’ve got a message for those people – I’m not going anywhere.”
Gayle, 30-year-old veteran of 83 Tests, said he had been chosen as captain, a job he would “continue to do to the best of my ability.
“My heart is in it and I feel really strongly that I am the right man to lead the West Indies through this challenging period,” he maintained.
Gayle was appointed in 2007 and led the West Indies to victory in his first Test at the helm, over South Africa in Port Elizabeth later that year.
He was captain earlier this year when the West Indies briefly regained the Wisden Trophy for the first time in nine years with a 1-0 series win over England at home.
Since then, he was heavily criticised for his negative comments about Test cricket in England last May when the West Indies were trounced in both Tests and immediately surrendered the Trophy.
Re-appointed captain for the home series against Bangladesh in July, he and the other players withdrew two days before the first Test because of the long-running contracts dispute between the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) and the West Indies Players Association (WIPA).
Floyd Reifer was recalled to lead a replacement team hat lost both Tests and all three ODIs.
Gayle regained his position and a full strength team was chosen for Australia after the dispute was conditionally settled a month before the tour.
Noting that “a lot has been happening over the past eight months”, Gayle said he was “not into negativity.”
“Negative energy is the last thing we need right now because we are just starting to try to regroup as a team,” he added.
“With my captaincy coming under fire, the really heartening thing for me is to see how I have respect from each and every one of the players in our squad.”
“It makes my job easier to know that each individual supports me and it helps me get the best out of the players.” (TC)