New York Times columnist Robert Lipsyte, writing the introduction to Beyond a Boundary by CLR James, says as follows:"CLR James is a man of his times but his sensibilities and the lessons of the Tunapuna C.C may clarify our own. The roads from all the dusty pitches of the world now converge on a satellite feed. The thrill of victory and the agony of defeat is measured in audience share and dollars.Yet at the heart of it all is the true glory of sport, the individual daring to be better. How society can nurture the dream without cynically exploiting it may be the true sports challenge of the century."
Christopher Henry Gayle is no CLR James but he was born September 21, 1979. This 6-ft 3-in left-handed opening batsman has played 91 Tests scoring 6,373 runs; 223 one day internationals scoring 7,917 runs.The former West Indies captain has a highest Test score of 333 and until last week was best known for his overly relaxed style and somewhat carefree (less) style at the crease.However, this has all changed and from now on, Chris Gayle will forever be rememberred as the whistle blower on West Indies Cricket and in particular the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB).It was a very upset Gayle who spoke on KLAS radio in Jamaica on Wednesday and spilled his guts about what he believed were the "lies" being uttered against him.
These revelations should not be taken lightly by anyone, even those of us, who have been dissatisfied with Gayle's behavior during his 11 years representing the West Indies. As seekers of the truth in sports and the betterment of West Indies cricket, the people of T&T need to put aside their bias towards Gayle because of his perceived mis-treatment of two highly respected sons of the soil, Ken Gordon (while he was president) and Brian Charles Lara (while he was captain).Today, we can view Gayle as a hero or a traitor. Hero in that he has spoken out on team selection and behavior of many in the WICB, which leave a lot of unanswered questions, but has also re-opened some old wounds about treatment by the WICB to former players.
On I Sports Cricket Thursdays on i95.5fm last week, several callers drew reference to the treatment given to Rohan Kanhai and Desmond Haynes in particular and concurred that many years later, we were witnessing a repeat performance from the WICB. But while most of us were salivating while listening to this explicit expose on 42-year old Ottis Gibson and his coaching ability being questioned by Gayle and others lapped up like eager pot hounds the view expressed by Gayle that Dr Ernest Hillaire, the Chief Executive Officer of the WICB was not all he claimed to be...there were others saying, Gayle was breaking rank, breaking that hidden code, almost like a policeman's blue shield.
In an age where information is at our fingertips, we should not be surprised because of the incessant need to release pent up anger and rage. The advent of Twitter and Facebook have raised the bar on information cover ups. What Gayle has done should send a strong signal to the WICB they need to be transparent in all their affairs. And the WICB can begin by addressing some of the damming points disclosed by Gayle, such as Hillaire's true opinion of Keiron Pollard, coach Ottis Gibson's man management skills, especially his dealing or treatment of both Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Ramnaresh Sarwan. We all know of the laughable statement during the just concluded World Cup that Sarwan was not able to come out to bat at the fall of a wicket against England because he was in the bathroom. And while many believe that was either old talk or another wave of petulance from the enigmatic Guyanese, the evidence is perhaps, that Sarwan was so intimidated by Gibson's adjustments to the batting line up, that he was nervous and uncomfortable.If only a small part of what Gayle has stated is true, the WICB owe the people an investigation.Time and again, we have blamed the players for their penchant for all things green and in US currency, but while that may be so, we cannot allow an organisation to have officials behaving in high handed manners so easily and not do anything about it.
Is it fair to say that some of the action taken against Gayle is being seen as just another attempt to destabilise the West Indies Players Association (WIPA) and in particular, its president Dinanath Ramnarine. The longer the WICB allows this matter to fester without a proper response will only further damage their already dwindling credentials and erode whatever goodwill still exists in West Indies cricket.Even though many of us may consider Gayle to be a simpleton in terms of his cricketing acumen, he has vividly articulated his burning desire to play for the West Indies while emphasising that he has been denied this opportunity by a collection of mismanagement, bungling, dishonesty and even envy.
He went so far as to say that the "layaway" given to Dwayne Bravo and Keiron Pollard would not have been afforded to him and this needs to be carefully reviewed. Whether or not Gayle's conspiracy theory is true, the fact that a man who has been noted to be so relaxed can be so forceful and straight talking would make even the most noted Gayle basher rise up and take notice.
Let us examine the scenario involving Bravo and Pollard. They are two all-rounders who would be first in line for selection on the current West Indies team. If Bravo is not available for Test matches, no one can argue over the inclusion of Darren Sammy, who along with the CEO and president of the Board Julian Hunte are all from St Lucia. Almost every West Indian, except those from St Lucia and the West Indies selectors, have questioned the choice of Sammy as captain of the Test team. Now Gayle seems to be heading in that direction. Is he wrong? Can six million West Indian people be wrong?
Coach Gibson is now facing his greatest trial. This is a serious test of his character, particularly given Gayle's assertion that he told Jamaican Wavell Hinds (born September, 7, 1976) he is too old at 33, to be in his plans for the future, but instead selected Dale Richards (born July, 16, 1976) who was slightly older at the time as a part of the team. This inconsistency will forever reinforce the view that insularity still prevails in our cricket.
President Hunte needs to act swiftly to ensure Gayle's concerns are aired and discussed. I understand there are some in the WICB who want to ensure this is the end for Gayle. They believe they can rebuild a young team without Gayle, Chanderpaul and Sarwan and ultimately without WIPA. However, we must caution them because this is a dark road on which to travel at this time, particularly with a faltering product such as the West Indies team.Gayle stated he was hurting and in tears as he spoke and it remains doubtful that the WICB will pursue any of the things he brought out since he revealed he has a "paper trail" filled with emails and bbm's to support his statements.I must admit that after his interview, a lot of people, including myself, have a different sort of respect for Gayle. He did something not many would be willing to do. He took a stand. Whether it will be like "Custer's last stand", only time will tell.
The hard-hitting Jamaican would have pleased some of his sponsors by attempting to erode the negative image of himself but one wonders if the WICB is concerned about their sponsors and what this means to their future sponsorship negotiations.Some quick remedial work is needed by the WICB, sooner rather than later. Otherwise president Hunte, CEO Dr Hillaire, coach Gibson and the other officers of the WICB could find themselves-like Sarwan, in the toilet, with their names being called but unable to go out to bat. And from all that Gayle has aired, the stench in there seems fine with the top trio and their executives!What a stench! Phew!