ST JOHN’S, Antigua, CMC – Regional governing body for cricket, the WICB, has granted Chris Gayle a no-objection certificate (NOC) to play in the lucrative Indian Premier League but says it is “disappointed” in the talismanic opener making himself unavailable for the Pakistan series.
In a statement yesterday, the WICB said it had been informed by Gayle that he would not be available for the upcoming series because of an offer to play in the IPL.
The board indicated it had been under the impression Gayle was still recovering from injury and was therefore “surprised” the left-hander was preparing to turn out in the IPL.
“The WICB is most disappointed in the manner in which Gayle has handled the entire situation, especially given the mature and cooperative manner in which two other players who refused contracts – Dwayne Bravo and Kieron Pollard – made themselves available for selection and agreed to an understanding in the best interest of West Indies cricket,” the statement said.
Gayle, previously ignored in the IPL auction, is now expected to turn out for the Royal Challengers Bangalore to replace injured left-arm pacer Dirk Nannes.
The move comes just a week after he was overlooked for the first two One-Day Internationals of the Pakistan series, as he continued to recover from an injury sustained during the recent World Cup.
“Gayle informed the WICB that he had received an offer to participate in the IPL and applied to the WICB for a no-objection certificate to cover the entire duration of the IPL which clashes with the Pakistan leg of the Digicel Series,” the WICB explained.
“The WICB granted the NOC only after Gayle officially notified the board of his decision not to make himself available for selection for the Pakistan leg of the Digicel Series.
“The WICB does not accept Gayle’s reason for making himself unavailable but as he has already clearly made his choice and has travelled to India, the WICB does not wish to stand in his way.”
In outlining the events leading up to Gayle’s non-selection for the first two ODIs, the board said the Jamaican had undergone a medical evaluation which had determined that he needed up to three weeks of rest before returning to training. The WICB said it had communicated with Gayle on the injury situation and had made arrangements to assist in the player’s rehabilitation.
“Gayle was undergoing rehabilitative work with an appointed physiotherapist and had already attended ten sessions. The next phase was to include sport-specific training along with a running programme,” the board release said.
“After the resumption of training the WICB team management would have organized a fitness test to assess Gayle’s fitness and decisions would have then been taken about his selection to the West Indies team to face Pakistan.
“It is clear that there was no way that Gayle could have been considered for selection for the first two Digicel ODIs given [his injury situation].”
“The WICB was surprised to learn that Gayle had been making arrangements to play cricket in India when the WICB was under the clear impression that he was recovering from injury and was undergoing rehabilitation work and about to resume training.”
The WICB said it had also informed Gayle that once he had resumed training and passed fit, he would have been considered for selection for the remaining matches in the Pakistan series.
