Former West Indies captain Chris Gayle on Thursday clarified his decision on giving the entire home series against Pakistan a miss for the lucrative IPL, stating that he was left with little choice after being ignored for the ODIs and a T20 international by the national selectors.
The explosive opening batsman, who joined the Royal Challengers Bangalore after Dirk Nannes was ruled out with an injury, said an uncertain future forced him to accept the Indian Premier League franchise’s offer.
West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) had on Wednesday reacted angrily to Gayle’s decision, saying that the move was unacceptable and disappointing.
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The 31-year-old Jamaican was critical of the remarks and said, “I was actually forced to make this decision based on what was happening around me and based on what has happened to players — (Ramnaresh) Sarwan and (Shivnaraine) Chanderpaul.”
The left-hander added that after getting injured during the recently-concluded World Cup he was left at his own and had to pay all expenses for medical treatment in Britain before flying home.
“I took it upon myself to commence a rehabilitation programme with my personal trainer,” said Gayle.
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“A group of players were selected for a training camp in Barbados, and I never got a call, nobody spoke to me, and I decided to leave it alone,” Gayle told KLAS Sports Radio in an interview in Jamaica.
“I continued my training programme, and I came to find out via the media that a Twenty20 squad was announced, and a one-day international squad was announced, and I was stunned when I saw a big headline in the newspapers, ‘Gayle, Sarwan, Chanderpaul dropped’,” he said.