Findlay weighs in on the Chris Gayle saga

Former Chairman of selectors of the West Indies Cricket Board Vincentian Thaddeus Michael Findlay wants to see the end of the Chris Gayle/ WICB saga, but thinks both parties have to agree to compromise.{{more}}

Saying that the issue has been dragging on far too long, Findlay suggests the appointment of an independent person to mediate in the matter.

Gayle, 32, former West Indies captain, has not played for the regional team since last year’s World Cup. At the centre of the discord are comments he made about the WICB and the coach Ottis Gibson during an interview on KLASS Radio in his native Jamaica in April 2011.

Gayle, at the time, lambasted the WICB for its handling of several matters, including medical issues and Gibson’s comments about senior players’ non performance in the World Cup.

The WICB has since asked Gayle to retract his comments, which the left handed batsman has refused to do.

In light of the current impasse, Findlay spoke with SEARCHLIGHT last Tuesday morning.

“I think they should let an independent person, an astute person, a person who will not be overwhelmed by the aura of Chris Gayle as world class batsman; someone who is not afraid to tell the West Indies Board where they are wrong,” Findlay advised.

“Having Chris and the Board, you will not get anywhere; both sides are hard headed and you are not going get anywhere,” Findlay, a former St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Windward Islands, Combined Islands and West Indies wicket keeper, reiterated.

“Chris is not going to change his mind. You can see Chris is stubborn, and the West Indies Board feels that they are on the right track and they would not change their mind,” Findlay, who also played Football for St. Vincent and the Grenadines and the Windward Islands, observed.

Findlay, who was the head of the selection panel when Gayle made his debut for the West Indies in 2000, felt that the impasse is hurting West Indies Cricket.

“There is absolutely no doubt that Chris has enough talent to provide assistance to the West Indies, especially where the West Indies finds itself in as far as Cricket is concerned,” Findlay, a former West Indies Youth and Senior team Manager, conceded.

Admitting that there is no winner in the fiasco, Findlay said that both sides were at fault at some time.

“Chris went beyond to criticize the board and Gibson, and he should recognize that,” Findlay, who was a member of the International Cricket Council (ICC) Cricket Committee from 2002 to 2004, said.

In Gibson’s case, Findlay holds the view that Gibson was not being a statesman when he publicly criticised the players.

“All of them are guilty of some error. Each party in this confusion must recognize their own role in the matter, where they are wrong, as they are all guilty of some sort of discretion. Admit that, apologise to each other and move on,” Findlay said with passion.

Findlay, who played ten test matches for the West Indies between 1968 and 1976, believes that the Gayle issue goes beyond the statements made on the radio programme.

“Chris believes that Hilaire, (Earnest Hilaire, the current CEO of the WICB) has something against him, because Hilaire made some statements before he was CEO of the West Indies Cricket Board,” Findlay added.

Findlay’s assessment is based on information Gayle posted on one of the social networks about his knowledge of who from the WICB voted for and against him for the captaincy of the West Indies team and who made comments against him.

Gayle has played 91 tests, scoring 6373 runs, with a highest score of 333 at an average of 41.65. He has appeared in 228 One Day Internationals, recording 8087 runs at an average of 39.06.

Gayle has 20 T/20 Internationals to his name, along with 166 first class matches, rattling up 12 294 runs, since his Twenty20 competitions around the world, including the Indian Premier League , the Big Bash League in Australia and the BPL in Bangladesh and the South Africa T/20 League. (RT)