howzdat wrote:Good points mikesiva but isn't the lore of historical noteworthiness of more lasting impact than 'money'? And aren't the deserved accolades of your own countrymen, by which i mean fellow West Indians, sweeter to the ear than the exotic screechings of folk on a distant shore who will be praying that you fail when you play against their team?
Gayle, and others, may benefit in the pocket from stints at IPL or the Big Bash but I argue that the mark left by a player on Test cricket is what is of real lasting value. Test cricket calls for you to represent your chosen Nation to the best of your ability and indeed to strive beyond that capacity. Chris Gayle's ability is undoubted but his application is too often found wanting - and even as i say this I know that many will 'shoot' me down.
I dimly remember the second innings of a match at the Oval in which Gayle scoring a very quick century of which 70-something came in boundaries and shortly after got out. On his dismissal Sir Vivian Richards was heard to let-off a very eloquent and damning suck-teeth folllowed by some scathing comments. West Indies lost the game. And when you lose it is no comfort to hear people saying: "THAT IS THE WAY HE PLAYS THE GAME" and sing praises for the entertainment provided.
Chris Gayle's batting elicits too much kiss-me-teeth vexedness for me to get worked up over whether or not he chooses to play for West Indies. But good luck to him always - and we will see what history says.
Good points, and I agree with them....
However, they pertain to people of our generation. The rise of 20/20 cricket is now causing problems in Australia, as they wrestle with Big Bash League, and we've already seen half a dozen Indians opt out of touring the West Indies, as they concentrate on the IPL. So, Gayle is not alone, in this new generation who try to earn as much as they can from 20/20 cricket. It's like the football club footballer who puts the club ahead of playing for the country, i.e. Paul Scholes.
We have seen too many stories about players making their mark in Test cricket, but dying in poverty for one reason or another. Who are we to say that a player should choose Test cricket over the IPL, when the latter pays more than the former?
As it is, Gayle's approach has left a lot to be desired, but as we can see from this story, the behaviour of the WICB seems to be little better.
http://www.espncricinfo.com/west-indies ... 19191.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Sure, Gayle can be immature in his behaviour, but isn't it also a matter for concern when our administrators can be just as petty?