Kingston, Jamaica – The West Indies Players’ Association (WIPA) is concerned to read the article published in the Barbados Nation of Sunday, April 29th, 2012, entitled “War of Words.” This article revealed the contents of private and confidential e-mails exchanged between Mr. Chris Gayle and the WICB which were leaked to the media in complete disregard for the negotiation process or the sanctity of the office of Dr. the Hon. Ralph Gonsalves, Prime Minister of St. Vincent and the Grenadines. Moreover, it seems as though only some of the correspondence was leaked or used, and unfortunately the true extent of the parties’ discussions have not been made public. Needless to say, WIPA is disturbed and disappointed at this transparent and continuous attempt to tarnish Mr. Gayle’s good name and public image. More disappointing is the fact that Imran Khan, the WICB’s Corporate Communications Officer has been quick to circulate the article to the world at large, without regard to the foregoing.
WIPA is also perplexed, given the fact that, just a day before, new WIPA CEO Michael Hall received a call from a senior WICB Board Member to discuss a possible final resolution adequately addressing each other’s concerns which would, in all likelihood, have paved the way for Gayle’s return to the senior team for the remainder of the England tour at the end of his IPL commitments.
“I got the call on Sunday afternoon, and given the caller’s position in the WICB’s hierarchy, believed that the person had both the authority and the blessing of the WICB to engage in a substantive discussion,” Hall said. “After a brief, frank and amicable discussion, we reached a consensus beneficial to all parties based on various WICB assurances.” Hall continued, “Interestingly, there were two important areas of discussion. One entailed Chris’ desire not to leave Somerset hanging in light of his previous commitment to them and the necessity to get back to them quickly so as to allow them time to plan. The second concerned the request by Chris for an
assurance that he would, in fact, be picked for the tour of England before giving up his Somerset contract, which the senior WICB Board member agreed was an eminently reasonable request.”
Chris Gayle signed a contract with Somerset on or around January 2012.
WIPA is concerned by the mixed signals being sent by the WICB, which lead us to conclude that the WICB’s house is divided, some sections desiring that the Gayle matter should be resolved and a few who simply do not want Gayle to represent the West Indies for reasons best known to them.
WIPA and Mr. Gayle remain committed to working closely with all parties of like mind to resolve this issue in the best interest of West Indies cricket.