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Blame WICB for Gayle's outburst
On The Sporting Edge
Paul Reid
Thursday, June 04, 2009
A lot has been said since the unfortunate and ill-timed outburst by West Indies captain Chris Gayle on the eve of the second Test against England last month.
My initial reaction was one of anger, and I believe he must be stripped of the captaincy and told in no uncertain terms that if he does not want to play Test cricket, he should surrender his position to someone who,though not as good a batsman, is proud to wear the colours of the West Indies.
The real blame, however, should not be put at the feet of Gayle because as he said, he never asked to captain the team and thought it was a temporary appointment.
That being said, we can only assume that he was never forced at gunpoint and still had the option to walk away after that initial stint.
The blame must sit squarely on the shoulders of the West Indies Cricket Board for a number of reasons, the primary one being that they appointed someone not properly equipped to handle the job.
While he is able to compile runs and take wickets, Chris Gayle has never shown he is a leader or even one comfortable in front of a microphone.
Being the captain of the West Indies team, in my humble opinion, takes more than the skill of being able to bat and to bowl well.
The captain of the West Indies team is one of the most visible ambassadors from the entire region and one from whom much is expected, maybe even more than we expect from our elected political leaders.
The WICB has also erred in that they have no system in place to groom the young men they select to represent us. Yet they turn around expecting them to behave properly in civilised company.
The WICB and to a lesser extent the regional boards must start realising that the people who play cricket and other sports are more than just athletes on the field, and so they must start investing in them.
The American professional and even some semi-professional sports associations discovered this a long time ago and they have seminars and classes for the youngsters when they leave high schools or colleges to enter the professional ranks.
These seminars run the gamut from how to spend their money, where to go and not to go, and even how to spot people who are only interested in separating them from their millions.
If the WICB had even made the cursory effort in outlining to Gayle what was expected of him in his role as captain, then we might not have had this embarrassing situation in front of a media more than willing to upset the team spirit, as it did.
Then again, knowing Gayle, maybe no amount of grooming would have helped at all.
At times it appears that Gayle's brain moves as fast as his feet after a long day at the crease and his mouth moves three times as fast.
Gayle's outburst smacks of ingratitude to the game that has given him the world and put him in a position where he is better off financially than most.
Maybe he needs to be reminded of how he got to where he is.
Blame WICB for Gayle's outburst
On The Sporting Edge
Paul Reid
Thursday, June 04, 2009
A lot has been said since the unfortunate and ill-timed outburst by West Indies captain Chris Gayle on the eve of the second Test against England last month.
My initial reaction was one of anger, and I believe he must be stripped of the captaincy and told in no uncertain terms that if he does not want to play Test cricket, he should surrender his position to someone who,though not as good a batsman, is proud to wear the colours of the West Indies.
The real blame, however, should not be put at the feet of Gayle because as he said, he never asked to captain the team and thought it was a temporary appointment.
That being said, we can only assume that he was never forced at gunpoint and still had the option to walk away after that initial stint.
The blame must sit squarely on the shoulders of the West Indies Cricket Board for a number of reasons, the primary one being that they appointed someone not properly equipped to handle the job.
While he is able to compile runs and take wickets, Chris Gayle has never shown he is a leader or even one comfortable in front of a microphone.
Being the captain of the West Indies team, in my humble opinion, takes more than the skill of being able to bat and to bowl well.
The captain of the West Indies team is one of the most visible ambassadors from the entire region and one from whom much is expected, maybe even more than we expect from our elected political leaders.
The WICB has also erred in that they have no system in place to groom the young men they select to represent us. Yet they turn around expecting them to behave properly in civilised company.
The WICB and to a lesser extent the regional boards must start realising that the people who play cricket and other sports are more than just athletes on the field, and so they must start investing in them.
The American professional and even some semi-professional sports associations discovered this a long time ago and they have seminars and classes for the youngsters when they leave high schools or colleges to enter the professional ranks.
These seminars run the gamut from how to spend their money, where to go and not to go, and even how to spot people who are only interested in separating them from their millions.
If the WICB had even made the cursory effort in outlining to Gayle what was expected of him in his role as captain, then we might not have had this embarrassing situation in front of a media more than willing to upset the team spirit, as it did.
Then again, knowing Gayle, maybe no amount of grooming would have helped at all.
At times it appears that Gayle's brain moves as fast as his feet after a long day at the crease and his mouth moves three times as fast.
Gayle's outburst smacks of ingratitude to the game that has given him the world and put him in a position where he is better off financially than most.
Maybe he needs to be reminded of how he got to where he is.
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