Chris Gayle responded to media speculation today on a LIVE radio interview on KLAS Sports Radio in Kingston Jamaica and put the blame for the West Indies's poor performance in the World Cup and subsequent dash to the IPL squarely at the feet of the WICB.
Highlights of Gayle's interview :
- "No one called me and said anything" before or after the headlines that said "Gayle dropped".
- "The ONLY communication was my physio CJ message got a BBM from me updating him on my progress. I never got a fitness program from him"
- "I was forced to make this decision based on what was happening around me. Based on what happened to Sarwan and Chanderpaul. I wanted to play. I wanted to represented West Indies. That was my ultimate goal. Based on what was happening, I had to make that decision. An opportunity presented itself... a T20 squad was named, an ODI squad was named... listen, I had no other choice but to take the IPL contract."
- "As soon as I asked for NOC. Everything mashup! Email start coming in left and right."
- "I got a note from CEO to sign the World CUp contract. I replied to CEO asking if WIPA approved of the contract. The reply from CEO, copied by all three selectors and coach and lawyer and CEO himself... stating that we have someone on standby, if you don't sign this contract, you will be replaced for the World Cup. That eat me out during the World Cup."
- "I'm the perfect target for them. They want to get rid of me. They want to get rid of WIPA. That's all this is about... to get rid of WIPA."
- "I called a meeting with the coach and team to ask if he said bad things about me... That was my last game as captain. He denied all this. I didn't know all these things were written about me b this coach. If there is one coach that got my all, it was Ottis Gibson."
- "I don't know what they trying. They turn to Bravo now. They gave him the vice captain. They take away the captain from me and they take away the VC from Bravo... now they gone back to Bravo... I don't know what they trying."
- "They say they have unproductive talk with Chris Gayle. I wrote to board, asked board for simple NOC for Big Bash and IPL. I never heard from there. Sri Lanka tour came up, I got a triple hundred in the Test match. THe CEO then called askign waht I wanted to do pertaining to IPL. I said I'd love to play full IPL. CEO said "no, that can't work..."
- "In SL, when I got the triple century. I said to myself that I'll give Test cricket a break. I was going through a lot. I was going back and forth in my mind. Pressure was piling up. I didn't make any decision. I didn't know what CEO discussed with Bravo and Pollard. I didn't know their productive talk with 'the doctor'."
- "Just before the IPL auction, I got an email from teh CEO if I'm retiring from Test cricket. I found that very strange. IT sounded like he wanted me to retire so he can continue to screw me over."
- "They want to question me about my commitment to WI cricket. We bruk finger and bat. You know who is the most hardcore cricketer for West INdies?!?!? You know who that is.... Chris Gayle."
- "They threatening players. They're using the fitness thing to threaten players. You can make ten ducks in a row and still make the team... as long as you fit like a fiddle... That's the system they have now... Fitness, fitness, fitness..."
- "every coach come with the same format... fitness, fitness, fitness... 24/7. Man to man, Australia team no fitter than we. You think India fitter than we?"
"Ah joke Coach Ottis Gibson ah mek!"
- "Wavell played the T20 World Cup. He was 32 yrs. The coach look to him and say Wavell, you too old, yu not in my program. Two days later, Dale Richards came in .. and he's older than Wavell."
- "My bat do my talking. You check the stats. That's how I survived for so long... You check the stats.."
- "I was called into a room in front of all the selectors... people in front of computers... asking why I didn't sign (retainer)contract. I told them it did not sound right. The contract covers everything from WI cricket to local club cricket. If Lucas want me to play, I can't go and play nowhere else. The contract ties me down to everything... to WI, to Jamaica, to club level..."
"The WICB can stop me from everything... they can determine every move I make."
- "I didn't sign the retainer because I didn't want to be bogged down. They have someone on the computer taking minutes. They can publish it publicly and let people see what my explanation was."
- "I wanted to go and captain the team at the World Cup. I was in a meeting and they begged me to take it. Before SA series, Ottis Gibson had jsut come on board. Gibson begged me to stay as captain."
- "That's why I couldn't believe those things he (Gibson) said about me. He saying I lacked leadership. But he was the bwling coach of England and he knew he was getting the WI job. He *begged* me to stay as captain."
"He was saying "Stay Chris, I'm coming..."
- "The coach is a user. That's what he is. He is a user."
- "I hope this interview is going all over the world. I'm clearing my name. Don't come putting me as a bad apple."
- "Another thing... as much as people want to look at WIPA as bad. Current players and players to come in teh future, if there's no WIPA, y'all are going to suffer."
"Yall should thank WIPA. WIPA has done a lot for players locally, internationally, grassroots..."
"Players literally come to me..they don't know nothing about WIPA. They asking me about WIPA... saying that board members complain and saying they shouldn't get involved with WIPA."
- "Ramnarine has done everything to educate the players. But the players listen to board members. Players should thank WIPA for everything."
- "You think that if I didn't get an IPL contract.. you think I would get a layaway like Pollard and Bravo?... Them say they will side with those two... and show up Chris Gayle..."
- "The CEO had a discussion with the players... he was cursing Pollard, saying he was money-hungry... He asked Pollard if 2020 was real cricket."
- "Who the people want to come watch? Nuh Chris Gayle?" "Dem can't trick me"
- "Me and Sarwan sit down and talk after the World Cup. Sarwan was messed up mentally. The coach messed up the man mentally. The players were not in the right frame of mind."
