Gayle remains defiant about his role in Windies team
BRISBANE, Australia (CMC) — Chris Gayle is embarrassed by West Indies’ staggering meltdown by an innings and 65 runs inside three days in the opening Test against Australia on Saturday at the Gabba.
But the West Indies captain has no plans to resign from his position, although he has faced vehement criticism in the Caribbean and
now Down Under for his style
of leadership.
In an exclusive News Limited column that appeared in the Courier Mail on Sunday, Gayle admitted that times were tough for him and his side.
“…But I’m determined to be the strong captain the team needs right now,” he said.
“Make no bones about it, our
loss in Brisbane was not only disappointing, but it was also downright embarrassing.”
He added: “When you have a bad loss like this, it’s to be expected that a lot of people are going to speculate over my captaincy.
“Some say I’m not the right person for the job. I’ve got a message
for those people — I’m not
going anywhere.”
Gayle was firm in his conviction about his role that he disclosed earlier this year in a newspaper interview that he had reluctantly accepted two years ago.
“My heart is in it, and I feel really strongly that I am the right man to lead the West Indies through this challenging period,” he said.
“A lot has been happening over the past eight months, but I am not into negativity. Negative energy is the last thing we need right now because we are just starting to try to regroup as
a team.”
He continued: “With my captaincy coming under fire, the really heartening thing for me is to see how I have respect from each and every one of the players in our squad.
“It makes my job easier to know that each individual supports me and
it helps me get the best out of
the players.”
He noted: “It is tremendous, and it gives me the extra drive to be the person who leads from the front, and copes with all the things that happen when the side doesn’t play well.”
Gayle hoped his comments would put the captaincy issue to bed, and allow him and his team to look forward to the second Test, starting on Friday (7:30 pm Thursday, East Caribbean Time) at Adelaide.
