Former West Indies opener, Philo Wallace, has come out swinging at Cricket West Indies, calling on them to curb the excess power players currently enjoy.
Wallace, during an interview on Mason and Guest, indicated, “I think the players have too much power and Cricket West Indies needs to have something in writing if they have to, to get these players to understand that you cannot play the game forever.”
The 51-year-old referenced the comments made by 42-year-old Chris Gayle on wanting to end his career in Jamaica and playing another World Cup.
“I believe a cricketer should not dictate when he wants to finish. I believe the selectors who are charged with selecting the squads have a right to sit down with these players and speak to them about leaving the game on a high. I’ve read the stories, Chris says he wants to leave the game in Jamaica, he also wants to play another World Cup and I am baffled.”
Wallace highlighted that Sir Curtly Ambrose was correct in pointing out the poor performance of Gayle over the last 18 months. Ambrose and Gayle had an exchange of words after he said the Jamaican opener was not an automatic selection in the World Cup squad to which Wallace concurred, “There comes a time when we all have to say goodbye and I think we’ve seen it with Chris Gayle over the years.
“Are we going to continue to allow these players to dictate to us or dictate to the board when they will finish?” Wallace questioned, adding, “Dwayne Bravo said the World Cup was his last and he has gone off, why must Chris Gayle say to us I want to finish in Jamaica, I want to know what cricket is being playing in Jamaica that Chris Gayle is going to retire in Jamaica and what World Cup is being played soon. Maybe he should by a cup and put the world on it.”
As far as Wallace is concerned, the selection panel needs to bring the debate over Gayle to closure and make the right decision. “We have to call a spade a spade and Cricket West Indies is not calling spades, spades. They continue to patch holes and the patches are falling out again and the holes are becoming bigger. We need to fix the problems,” he asserted.
