What is it with T20s and the West Indians? The recently concluded and much under hyped England tour of West Indies was the latest reminiscence of the West Indian players' ignorance. The 3 test series schedule was intercepting with the IPL and as expected none of the well know West Indians (who by the way have more fan following in India than in their own country) were interested to represent their country. This majorly was also a reason why only Test matches were scheduled because even the WICB is aware of the players' "prior commitments" to their respective IPL contracts.
The colloquially known IPL is actually a cash infused drug that every player dreams to be injected with. Normally, it is a platform where one can express himself and showcase his talent, hopefully resulting in international selection. For the West Indian players on the other hand, it seems it is the league that they look forward to every year. Chris Gayle for one, is a true champion.. However his decision to commit with Somerset while West Indies were hosting Australia is truly a shocker. His selection to the test team may not have been a certainty, but by involving himself in the Natwest T20 Blast at such a time reveals in depth, his attitude. He claimed to be the king of all 3 formats, and stated that he still had desire to play International cricket for the West Indies. He played his last test in September 2014. The ever ready for T20 Chris Gayle is not so ready when it comes to representing his nation. Chris Gayle's other mates- Dwayne Bravo, Dwayne Smith, Kieron Pollard, Lendl Simmons and many others are such who also go by the same theory.
The West Indian love story for T20 leagues probably began when it all started. Their reluctance to participate dates back to a conflict with the WICB. WICB has never had a healthy relationship with its players, be it the dispute with Chris Gayle in the after the 2011 world cup or with Bravo and Pollard who were controversially dropped from the world cup squad with no apparent fault of theirs. The wage disputes that ironically occurred during the India tour and many other controversies have always involved the board, the latest being the sacking of Shivnarain Chanderpaul. Neither the board, nor the players are attempting to resolve this which is slowly turning into a huge muddle. The West Indians have surely showed their dominance in T20s internationally but being an entertaining team isn't enough to have worldwide respect and followers.
The colloquially known IPL is actually a cash infused drug that every player dreams to be injected with. Normally, it is a platform where one can express himself and showcase his talent, hopefully resulting in international selection. For the West Indian players on the other hand, it seems it is the league that they look forward to every year. Chris Gayle for one, is a true champion.. However his decision to commit with Somerset while West Indies were hosting Australia is truly a shocker. His selection to the test team may not have been a certainty, but by involving himself in the Natwest T20 Blast at such a time reveals in depth, his attitude. He claimed to be the king of all 3 formats, and stated that he still had desire to play International cricket for the West Indies. He played his last test in September 2014. The ever ready for T20 Chris Gayle is not so ready when it comes to representing his nation. Chris Gayle's other mates- Dwayne Bravo, Dwayne Smith, Kieron Pollard, Lendl Simmons and many others are such who also go by the same theory.
The West Indian love story for T20 leagues probably began when it all started. Their reluctance to participate dates back to a conflict with the WICB. WICB has never had a healthy relationship with its players, be it the dispute with Chris Gayle in the after the 2011 world cup or with Bravo and Pollard who were controversially dropped from the world cup squad with no apparent fault of theirs. The wage disputes that ironically occurred during the India tour and many other controversies have always involved the board, the latest being the sacking of Shivnarain Chanderpaul. Neither the board, nor the players are attempting to resolve this which is slowly turning into a huge muddle. The West Indians have surely showed their dominance in T20s internationally but being an entertaining team isn't enough to have worldwide respect and followers.
