Tuesday, July 29, 2008

Reports suggest Gayle quits captaincy

Chris Gayle's relationship with the West Indies board has been strained at times.

Chris Gayle has sent in his letter of resignation to the West Indies board president Donald Peters, according to reports in the Caribbean media. The Trinidad and Tobago Express quoted Peters confirming the fact but not revealing the reasons behind it.

Last week the Trinidad and Tobago Express quoted Peters saying that he was aware that Gayle was considering quitting the post.

Gayle's relationship with the WICB has been strained at times and earlier this month he had expressed dissatisfaction with the selection policy, saying there were a lot of things happening in the selection process he didn't know about.

In June last year Gayle criticised the board over its arrangements for the one-day series in England and its initial decision to veto his appointment as one-day captain. Even after the board condemned him for refusing to back down from his criticisms, Gayle vowed to fight his bosses every inch of the way and said there was "no love lost" between him and the WICB.

Gayle has had mixed results as captain, winning two Tests out of five and seven ODIs out of 17. He led West Indies to two series wins in one-dayers, including an away victory against England last year, and against the touring Sri Lankans recently.

He presided over a surprise win in the first Test against South Africa in Johannesburg but his side went on to lose the next two games and the series. His other Test win came against Sri Lanka in Port-of-Spain to level the two-match series. However, injuries have interrupted his tenure and he has struggled to stay fit for an entire tour.