ST JOHN’S – Former Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda, Lester Bird, has called on the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) to end its shutout of Chris Gayle and has given head coach Ottis Gibson a failing grade for his management of the senior players.
In a candid, hard-hitting statement, Bird said Gayle was too important to the success of the regional side to be isolated and the WICB needed to “take the lead” in finding a solution to the long-running impasse.
Gayle, one of cricket’s most destructive openers, has not played for the West Indies in almost a year since he was highly critical of the board and Gibson in an interview with a Jamaican radio station following last year’s World Cup.
“As far as I am concerned, he [Gayle] is more valuable to our cricket than [WICB president] Julian Hunte, [WICB chief executive] Dr Ernest Hilaire, Ottis Gibson and [West Indies captain] Darren Sammy singly and collectively,” Bird contended.
“A team derives market value and draws crowds from two things: either the team is formidable and has a winning record or it has batting or bowling stars that draw crowds. Today we have neither.
“We need a new structure to propel West Indies cricket forward and we need it urgently.”
Bird also blamed Gibson for the impasse, arguing that the coach’s public criticisms of the senior players following the team’s failure at the World Cup triggered the controversy.
While not singling out any player, Gibson told reporters following West Indies’ exit from the tournament that the senior players “didn’t stand up”.
“Gibson should have been able, as good coaches do, to renew and re-energize senior players [such] as [Ramnaresh] Sarwan, Chris Gayle, [Shivnarine] Chanderpaul and [Dwayne] Bravo, deepen their commitment to the development of West Indies cricket and themselves,” argued Bird.
“Instead, he has alienated them and I am sure many others who for fear have failed to come forward. It is clear that these are not happy times and it is also clear that Gibson is not a good coach.
“Having failed the test to prove his ability to manage senior players who do have their own strong personalities, he tries to convince us that the future of West Indies cricket lies with a bunch of inexperienced young players.” (CMC)