BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, CMC – Outspoken West Indies batsman Chris Gayle says his recent World Cup campaign was dogged by a controversial incident over his tour contract, in the lead-up to the tournament.
The 31-year-old Jamaican claimed simply because he queried if his World Cup contract had been approved by the West Indies Players Association, a senior official threatened to have him replaced in the final squad if he did not sign.
While the situation was eventually sorted out, Gayle said it left a bitter taste in his mouth.
“I’ve served West Indies for so many years. I’ve been disrespected a lot and I’ve been playing the cricket under a lot of pressure,” the talismanic opener said in an emotionally charged interview on Jamaican radio station KLAS FM earlier this week.
“I wasn’t supposed to be at that World Cup over one little simple thing but the public doesn’t know that.”
He said the incident affected him in the World Cup campaign where he managed just 170 runs from five innings.
“I took that on to the World Cup. That hurt me so much to believe they are talking to a person who just captained West Indies and they’re actually dealing with me just like that,” Gayle lamented.
“That was unfair. That ate me up during the World Cup.”
Gayle and the West Indies Cricket Board traded barbs this week, after the big-hitting batsman requested a no-objection certificate to play in the Indian Premier League and also made himself unavailable for the Pakistan series.
The Board said they were under the impression Gayle was still recovering from an injury sustained during the World Cup and said they were “most disappointed” in the player’s actions.
In response, Gayle said he had been snubbed by the WICB after being excluded from a pre-series training camp and being overlooked for the first two One-Day Internationals against Pakistan.
The usually laid back Gayle, who has played 91 Tests and 228 ODIs, said his commitment to West Indies cricket could not be questioned as he had played selflessly for the regional side over the years.
“You know what hurt again, they want to question my commitment to West Indies cricket. People always remember your last performance,” Gayle railed.
“Do you know how many times I have gone on a field for West Indies with a broken finger and batted on one leg? Do you know who is the most hardcore cricketer for West Indies? Chris Gayle!”
Gayle further claimed that the West Indies team was in no frame of mind to play the World Cup because of underlying tensions.
