Cricket

the omission of Gayle who was also named as the Player of the Tournament in the IPL.
"Chris Gayle will not be considered for selection to the West Indies team before an intended meeting with himself, the selection committee, the WICB management and the West Indies team management," the statement said. "The selection committee views this meeting as necessary as a result of Gayle's comments in a widely publicized radio interview in Jamaica."
In the controversial interview with KLAS Sports, Gayle had said that the way he had been treated by the West Indies board (WICB) had left him with little choice but to join the Royal Challengers Bangalore squad for the 2011 IPL and miss the home series against Pakistan. During the interview, aired the very next day after the WICB had issued a Media Release expressing its disappointment at how Gayle had handled the IPL issue, the opening batsman and former West Indies captain hit back at his employers.
According to Gayle the Board had not checked on his rehabilitation from injury after the World Cup, and he had been "stunned" to learn from the media of his omission from the squads for the Twenty20 and the first two ODIs against Pakistan. In the hard-hitting interview Gayle also poured scorn on the role of the West Indies coach, Otis Gibson, dismissing him as a "user", and blaming him for wrecking the confidence of his fellow veteran batsman Ramnaresh Sarwan during the World Cup.
"I have served West Indies for many years, but I was disrespected a lot, and I have been playing under a lot of pressure. I can't sleep properly. I need to get this off my chest. I want everybody to print what I said, I want to clear the air and I want them to ease up. WICB… back up offa my back."
Gayle's comments however, were at odds with what the WICB had said in a release soon after it granted him the no-objection certificate, clearing his participation in the IPL. The board claimed it had been in communication with Gayle.
In its response to the Gayle radio interview the WICB had also said it was surprised to learn that Gayle had been making arrangements to play cricket in India when it was under the clear impression that he was undergoing rehabilitation work and about to resume training.
The 'back and forth' between Gayle and the WICB which occupied so much attention in the lead up to the Pakistan Series, has now apparently received a new lease on life. It will be very interesting to see how Gayle responds to the Selectors' statement and whether he agrees to participate in the "intended meeting".
As the IPL's orange-cap winner, Gayle accumulated 608 runs in 12 matches as an opener for runners-up Bangalore in the 2011 Season. The left-handed batsman hit 2 hundreds, 3 fifties and a record 44 sixes to demoralize the opposition bowlers. It therefore seems bizarre that he will be missing in action for the first two One Dayers in Trinidad and quite possibly the entire Series.
Whichever way it turns out, Gayle will be missing in action for the first two One Dayers in Trinidad and quite possibly the entire Series. He will be joined on the sideline by his fellow Jamaican Jerome Taylor, arguably the West Indies' most successful speedster in recent years.
Taylor, despite having participated in the recent IPL, the Selectors have also found it fit to omit him on the grounds of questionable fitness. The selection committee said in its statement that Taylor must play a full season of regional cricket to prove his fitness for international level. It should not be lost on anyone that Taylor, like Gayle, had also claimed that the WICB had failed to contact him about how he was recovering from an injury until after he had departed for the IPL. Apparently much like revenge, retribution is also a dish best served cold!
With Kemar Roach also rested as a result of his heavy workload, the chosen West Indies frontline bowlers for the first two ODIs looks decidedly lacking in speed if not penetration. Ravi Rampaul, Darren Sammy, Andre Russell, Dwayne Bravo and Keiron Pollard are not likely to strike fear into the hearts of any of the Indian batsmen making the tour. Luckily for the West Indies these will not include any of India's top four batsmen: Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambir and Yuvraj Singh, all of whom will be missing the Tour for a variety of reasons.
Of the six West Indies seamers selected, only Rampaul and Russell have demonstrated a capacity for consistently bowling at speeds anywhere near the ninety miles an hour mark. Rampaul did so impressively and with great effect during the early matches of the West Indies-Pakistan Series. By the end of the 2nd and final Test in St Kitts however, he was noticeably back to bowling at his more customary average speeds in the low eighties. Whether or not he can ramp up again to the ninety mph mark will be very interesting to watch.
As opposed to facing a diet of high speed fast bowling, which they have historically disliked, India's batsmen will likely be subjected to the West Indies latest spin duo of Davendra Bishoo and Anthony Martin. Bishoo bowled very impressively against Pakistan, so it will be very interesting to see how he fares on the traditionally spinner friendly wickets at Trinidad's Queen's Park Oval.
At 28, Martin, who made his One Day International Debut against Pakistan, is yet another belated entry into the roster of West Indian spinners, many of whom have been tried within recent years, with such little success.
With no Gayle, Taylor, Tendular, Sehwag, Gambir or Singh, the Trinidad leg of the West Indies-India One Day International Series has definitely been deprived of its marquee value. Trinidadians however love nothing better than the entertainment provided by a good "Lime". One Day cricket at the Queen's Park Oval has a well developed reputation of being one of the sweetest "Limes" available anywhere in the Caribbean.
Spectator attendance at the two ODI's will therefore serve as an excellent measure of the level of frustration and unhappiness with the West Indies selectorial policies amongst Trinidad's cricket fans. I for one won't be at all surprised if on June 6 and 8 the traditional full stands at the Queen's Park Oval turn out to be noticeably empty.

June 1, 2011 issue
Cricket
No Gayle for first two West Indies-India ODIs!
*Tony McWatt*	Cricket fans in the Caribbean will be deprived the pleasure of watching the most exciting player in contemporary cricket ply his trade against the Indian World Champions. Fresh from finishing as the leading run getter in the recently concluded Indian Premier League (IPL), Chris Gayle has been omitted from the West Indies squad for the first two One Day Internationals in their forthcoming home Series against the 2011 World Cup champions, India. In announcing the squad, the West Indies Selectors issued a statement of explanation on
the omission of Gayle who was also named as the Player of the Tournament in the IPL. "Chris Gayle will not be considered for selection to the West Indies team before an intended meeting with himself, the selection committee, the WICB management and the West Indies team management," the statement said. "The selection committee views this meeting as necessary as a result of Gayle's comments in a widely publicized radio interview in Jamaica." In the controversial interview with KLAS Sports, Gayle had said that the way he had been treated by the West Indies board (WICB) had left him with little choice but to join the Royal Challengers Bangalore squad for the 2011 IPL and miss the home series against Pakistan. During the interview, aired the very next day after the WICB had issued a Media Release expressing its disappointment at how Gayle had handled the IPL issue, the opening batsman and former West Indies captain hit back at his employers. According to Gayle the Board had not checked on his rehabilitation from injury after the World Cup, and he had been "stunned" to learn from the media of his omission from the squads for the Twenty20 and the first two ODIs against Pakistan. In the hard-hitting interview Gayle also poured scorn on the role of the West Indies coach, Otis Gibson, dismissing him as a "user", and blaming him for wrecking the confidence of his fellow veteran batsman Ramnaresh Sarwan during the World Cup. "I have served West Indies for many years, but I was disrespected a lot, and I have been playing under a lot of pressure. I can't sleep properly. I need to get this off my chest. I want everybody to print what I said, I want to clear the air and I want them to ease up. WICB… back up offa my back." Gayle's comments however, were at odds with what the WICB had said in a release soon after it granted him the no-objection certificate, clearing his participation in the IPL. The board claimed it had been in communication with Gayle. In its response to the Gayle radio interview the WICB had also said it was surprised to learn that Gayle had been making arrangements to play cricket in India when it was under the clear impression that he was undergoing rehabilitation work and about to resume training. The 'back and forth' between Gayle and the WICB which occupied so much attention in the lead up to the Pakistan Series, has now apparently received a new lease on life. It will be very interesting to see how Gayle responds to the Selectors' statement and whether he agrees to participate in the "intended meeting". As the IPL's orange-cap winner, Gayle accumulated 608 runs in 12 matches as an opener for runners-up Bangalore in the 2011 Season. The left-handed batsman hit 2 hundreds, 3 fifties and a record 44 sixes to demoralize the opposition bowlers. It therefore seems bizarre that he will be missing in action for the first two One Dayers in Trinidad and quite possibly the entire Series. Whichever way it turns out, Gayle will be missing in action for the first two One Dayers in Trinidad and quite possibly the entire Series. He will be joined on the sideline by his fellow Jamaican Jerome Taylor, arguably the West Indies' most successful speedster in recent years. Taylor, despite having participated in the recent IPL, the Selectors have also found it fit to omit him on the grounds of questionable fitness. The selection committee said in its statement that Taylor must play a full season of regional cricket to prove his fitness for international level. It should not be lost on anyone that Taylor, like Gayle, had also claimed that the WICB had failed to contact him about how he was recovering from an injury until after he had departed for the IPL. Apparently much like revenge, retribution is also a dish best served cold! With Kemar Roach also rested as a result of his heavy workload, the chosen West Indies frontline bowlers for the first two ODIs looks decidedly lacking in speed if not penetration. Ravi Rampaul, Darren Sammy, Andre Russell, Dwayne Bravo and Keiron Pollard are not likely to strike fear into the hearts of any of the Indian batsmen making the tour. Luckily for the West Indies these will not include any of India's top four batsmen: Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambir and Yuvraj Singh, all of whom will be missing the Tour for a variety of reasons. Of the six West Indies seamers selected, only Rampaul and Russell have demonstrated a capacity for consistently bowling at speeds anywhere near the ninety miles an hour mark. Rampaul did so impressively and with great effect during the early matches of the West Indies-Pakistan Series. By the end of the 2nd and final Test in St Kitts however, he was noticeably back to bowling at his more customary average speeds in the low eighties. Whether or not he can ramp up again to the ninety mph mark will be very interesting to watch. As opposed to facing a diet of high speed fast bowling, which they have historically disliked, India's batsmen will likely be subjected to the West Indies latest spin duo of Davendra Bishoo and Anthony Martin. Bishoo bowled very impressively against Pakistan, so it will be very interesting to see how he fares on the traditionally spinner friendly wickets at Trinidad's Queen's Park Oval. At 28, Martin, who made his One Day International Debut against Pakistan, is yet another belated entry into the roster of West Indian spinners, many of whom have been tried within recent years, with such little success. With no Gayle, Taylor, Tendular, Sehwag, Gambir or Singh, the Trinidad leg of the West Indies-India One Day International Series has definitely been deprived of its marquee value. Trinidadians however love nothing better than the entertainment provided by a good "Lime". One Day cricket at the Queen's Park Oval has a well developed reputation of being one of the sweetest "Limes" available anywhere in the Caribbean. Spectator attendance at the two ODI's will therefore serve as an excellent measure of the level of frustration and unhappiness with the West Indies selectorial policies amongst Trinidad's cricket fans. I for one won't be at all surprised if on June 6 and 8 the traditional full stands at the Queen's Park Oval turn out to be noticeably empty.
Rehman, Ajmal spin Pakistan to 196-run win as two-Test series ends 1-all
In the sunshine of St Kitts the Pakistan spinners made merry on a last day pitch offering prodigious turn to level the two-Test Digicel series with an emphatic 196-run win against the West Indies 17 minutes before Lunch on May 24. Set a world record 427 to win, West Indies began the fifth day on 130-5 and after losing Brendon Nash to Man-of-the Series, off-spinner Saeed Ajmal in the day's third over before he had added to his overnight 30, crashed 230 all out with over two sessions to spare. Darren Sammy, with just 47 runs from his previous seven Test innings as Captain, looked positive in hitting six fours before he fell to Ajmal when seven away from his highest Test score of 48 and his demise, which followed that of Carlton Baugh (18) left the West Indies on 193-8 and heading to their 16th defeat against Pakistan in 46 Tests. Pakistan have lost 15 times while the other 15 matches have ended in draws. Left-arm spinner Abdur Rehman had a career best 4-65 while Ajmal, who continued to befuddle batsmen with his big turning off-breaks and eyebrow raising Doosras, took 3-79 to finish the series with 17 scalps. Scores: Pak 272 & 377, WI 223 & 230. The skies were clear and blue with no signs of rain visible as West Indies began the final day with the daunting task of getting 297 more to win with just five wickets in hand. With Nash on 30 and Baugh on seven, the realistic plan by the hosts must have been to prolong the innings for as long as possible. But the left-handed Nash who scored a century in his last Test in St Kitts last year in a double century partnership with Shiv Chanderpaul against South Africa, edged a viciously turning off-break from Ajmal to slip to leave the score on 135-6. Sammy joined Baugh to take the score to 171 before Baugh was leg before to Rehman as the 'not out' decision by Umpire Billy Bowden was overturned by the referral. Sammy looked to play forward as much as possible and grew in confidence after stroking Rehman deliberately over mid-off for a one-bounce boundary. The only St Lucian to play International cricket then drove Rehman delightfully to the cover boundary and clipped Ajmal for four behind square to the approval of the handful of fans in the working day crowd. Roach, who has showed good technique and common sense with the bat in the lower order in this series, supported his captain who looked to be positive. But once Sammy was taken at short mid-wicket by Misbah Ul Haq, the contest was all but done although Ravi Rampaul hit two fours and two sixes in a cameo 22-ball 20. A positive from the disappointing West Indies batting in this series, is the level-headed work of the tail-enders and Roach and Rampaul added 34 for the 10th wicket before he fell to a sharp reflex catch at silly mid-off by Umar Akmal as he drove hard at Ajmal at 227-9. Roach (12) was then run out by a direct hit to the non-strikers' end as he ambled back to his crease after last man Devendra Bishoo (1) refused a call for a single to short fine-leg. The Digicel home series resumes on June 4 in Trinidad when West Indies play India in the one-off T20 at the Queens Park Oval from 10:00hrs before the five match ODI series and three Test matches begin. Scores: Pakistan 272 (Ali 67, Akmal 56, Tanvir 57, Rampaul 3-68) and 377 for 6 dec (Taufeeq 135, Misbah 102) beat West Indies 223 (Samuels 57, Hafeez 3-23) and 230 (Bravo 50, Rehman 4-65) by 196 runs.
I never get this sort of respect in West Indies: Gayle

*Chris Gayle*
Overwhelmed by the adulation of the fans during the IPL, West Indies batsman Chris Gayle said the love and respect he has got during the Twenty20 event eludes him back home. "Its amazing I can score no runs and still be loved & appreciated round the World!! Never get these sort of luv an respect in West Indies!!!," the Royal Challengers Bangalore batsman wrote on his twitter page referring to the duck he got in the IPL final loss to Chennai Super Kings on Saturday night. The opener, who almost single-handedly steered his team to the IPL 4 final, could not work his magic in the finals but managed to bag the Orange Cap for maximum number of runs in this season of the tournament - 608 from 12 matches. While Gayle ended up on the losing side, his fellow West Indian player - allrounder Dwayne Bravo - who is a part of the Chennai Super Kings outfit finished on a high. And Gayle admitted that while Bravo tasted victory, he is also celebrating RCB's successful campaign in the fourth edition of the cash-rich event. "The party must go on...it was 3 WI players in finals, but at least 1 WI player tasted IPL championship! Bravo..big up!! All 3 celebrating!!!," tweeted Gayle after the final match. Interestingly, Gayle had gone unsold in the players' auction and was called in by RCB as an injury replacement. His coming to the event irked the West Indies Cricket Board, which accused the player of going without permission. Gayle, in turn, alleged that the WICB left him to fend for himself during the injury problems he faced after the World Cup. The two players' decision to compete in the IPL after recovering from injuries had not gone down well with the WICB. The duo ended up offending the Board all the more by claiming that the WICB did not check on their injuries while they were recovering.
Sri Lanka batting collapse hands England shock victory
Chris Tremlett and Graeme Swann bowled England to a remarkable innings victory after Sri Lanka were bowled out for 82 in the first Test in Cardiff. A draw seemed likely after rain delayed the start of day five until 3 pm. But England declared after two overs on 496-5, a first-innings lead of 96, as soon as Ian Bell reached his century. Tremlett (4-40) grabbed two early wickets, before he and Swann (4-16) combined to tear through the tourists, with Stuart Broad finishing them off. With the last eight wickets falling in just over an hour after the tea interval, it left England victorious by an innings and 14 runs. It was an amazing end to a day's play that had begun with few supporters in the stands and even fewer expectations that the game would end in anything but a draw. For the fourth day out of five, no play was possible during the morning as rain meant the covers remained in place until four hours after the scheduled start time of 1100 am, a delay that appeared to have killed the game as a contest. When the players did take to the field it was initially for only 12 balls - long enough for Bell to add five runs to his overnight score of 98 and reach his 13th Test century - before England's declaration brought them off again. Because of the time eaten up by the weather, and with England's four-man attack one short because of James Anderson's side strain, the remaining 50 permitted overs were expected to produce a period of tame cricket during which England would give their fit bowlers practice time in the middle. However, this does an injustice to the competitive nature and belief of this England side, who immediately seized the initiative in Sri Lanka's second innings and then steadily turned the screw on their increasingly demoralised and disorganised opponents. Summary Scorecard: Sri Lanka 1st Innings - 400 all out (118.4 overs) Sri Lanka 2nd Innings 82 all out (24.4 overs) England 1st Innings - 496 for 5 (155.0 overs) England beat Sri Lanka by an innings and 14 runs
Shahid Afridi announces early retirement from Int'l cricket
Flamboyant Pakistani all-rounder Shahid Afridi announced an early retirement from international cricket, in protest against his removal from the captaincy of the national one-day team. "The people have given me lot of respect and love and I don't want to waste that working with this board who don't know how to respect players," an angry Afridi said. In a scathing attack on the Pakistan Cricket Board, Afridi described the current set of administrators as a disgrace to Pakistan cricket. Afridi who announced his retirement from all international cricket as a protest against the board for removing him as captain of the national one-day team said that nothing was greater to him than his self-respect. The experienced all-rounder said as long as the present board under the chairmanship of Ijaz Butt was in place he would not play international cricket. "I will continue to play domestic and league cricket but not international cricket but it is not worth my while under this board which gave me no reason nor did it bother to hear me out before sacking me as captain," he said. "I don't want to work with such disgraceful people. I don't know on what grounds they sacked me as captain. I worked hard on building up a broken team and turned it into a fighting combination. We played in the World Cup semifinal and yet they sacked me without hearing me out." Afridi also claimed that there was a group of people belonging to the Punjab province in Lahore who had always been against him. "This group has always kept on working against me. They are the ones who keep on filling the chairman's ears against me. Maybe they don't want me to play because I get in the way of their plans." Afridi also claimed that as captain he was never consulted in selection of teams nor was he sure about his captaincy before a series until the last moment.
Super Kings demolish Royal Challengers to take IPL 4 ... second year on the trot

*The winning Chennai Super Kings celebrating their victory in the IPL*
Murali Vijay smashed 95 to help Chennai Super Kings win the Indian Premier League for the second straight year on Saturday with a thumping 58-run victory over Bangalore Royal Challengers in the final. Vijay, who hit six sixes and four fours in his 52-ball knock, partnered Australian Michael Hussey (63) to set Chennai on its way to a 205-5 total off 20 overs at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium. Off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin dismissed the tournament's highest run-getter, West Indian Chris Gayle, caught behind for zero in the opening over. He then bowled Mayank Agarwal for 10 in his next over to enable Chennai take a firm grip on the match. League toppers Bangalore, finalists in 2009, were restricted to 147-8 off 20 overs with Ashwin finishing with 3-16. Chennai, who has made it to the final three times in four editions, has not lost at home in eight matches this season. "You can say we saved the best for the last," Chennai captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni said. "Vijay and Hussey gave us a great start. ... You want to show intent in a final, and show you want to win it, and that's what the batsmen did." Chennai was provided with a spectacular start with Vijay and Hussey involved in the highest first-wicket stand of the fourth edition of the 10-team Twenty20 tournament. Vijay raced to his 50 in 29 balls after guiding the defending champions to 94 in 10 overs, and subsequently lashed pacer Sreenath Aravind for two sixes in one over as he tore into the attack. Left-handed Hussey brought up his 50 with a reverse sweep for four off New Zealand spinner Daniel Vettori as the pair virtually batted the opposition out of the contest. Hussey, who had survived a run out chance on 46, was caught at the long-on fence attempting to flat-bat a full toss from left-arm spinner Syed Mohammad in the 15th over. Dhoni lashed Gayle for two sixes in an over to build on the advantage before Aravind dismissed a tired-looking Vijay — caught at cover by Vettori — and Dhoni was caught at the long-off fence for 22 off successive deliveries in the 19th over. Gayle dismissed Albie Morkel for two and Suresh Raina for eight in the final over before West Indian Dwayne Bravo took the hosts past the 200-mark with a six off the final delivery. Bangalore failed to recover following Ashwin's early strikes and lost to the defending champion for the third time in four meetings this season. Left-arm spinner Shadab Jakati dismissed South African AB de Villiers lbw for 18 and Australian Luke Pomersbach caught and bowled for two to send the visitors spiraling downwards. "It would have been a much better game if we could have put up a bowling performance like yesterday, but it was not to be. I think 160-170 would have been chaseable," Bangalore skipper Vettori said. Virat Kohli hit a brisk 35 before Suresh Raina nailed him lbw. Ashwin dismissed Vettori caught and bowled for zero for his third wicket of the match to leave the visitors struggling at 70-6 in 10.2 overs. Saurabh Tiwary hit 42 not out and Zaheer Khan 21 but Chennai had taken the game away. Gayle, who scored 608 runs in 12 matches after joining Bangalore as an injury replacement, was adjudged Man of the Series. "Disappointed that we had to lose tonight. Congrats to CSK (Chennai), they played better and deserved to win," Gayle said.
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