Adrian Frater, News Editor
Western Bureau:

The announcement by the new CARICOM chairman, St Kitts and Nevis Prime Minister Denzil Douglas, to revive the prime ministerial subcommittee on cricket with the view of intervening in the ongoing dispute between star batsman Chris Gayle and the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) is a welcome development.

Based on my personal observation, I am not convinced that the WICB is genuine in its declaration that it is seeking to revolve the contentious dispute, which has kept Gayle out of the ongoing Test series against India and the Twenty/20 and one-day series, which preceded it.

In fact, I suspect that if allowed to have their own way, the WICB would be only too happy to cast Gayle aside for good. Based on the sentiments some board members have been expressing in recent times, it is abundantly clear to me that there is an insatiable desire in some quarters to destroy the batsman's career.

While I would not say that Gayle is a man without fault, especially against the background that he generally exercises very little diplomacy when it comes to spilling his guts when provoked, I am yet to see any evidence to suggest that he has not been truthful in the utterances he has made.

However, unlike Gayle, the WICB seems to be operating on shifting sands when it comes to talking straight. In fact, in many instances, I have found the board to be less than candid and in addition, because the board seem to have a penchant to act like a bully, its actions seem to be more driven by malice than by good sense.

I believe the greatest difficulty the board is facing at this time with Gayle is that, in addition to calling public attention to their inept approach to leadership and dialogue, the batsman is also speaking loudly with his bat, which makes it difficult to ignore him.

While I naturally welcome CARICOM's plan to intervene in the dispute, I must admit that I am very disappointed with the lack of involvement by the Jamaica Cricket Board, the ministry of sports, and the government of Jamaica, who seem contented to watch Gayle fighting his battle against the WICB on his own.

As a long-standing fan of West Indies cricket, I am absolutely sure that if Gayle was Guyanese, the Guyana board and government would be up in arms against the board, demanding justice. The Guyanese simply don't abandon their star in a crisis, and I find that most commendable.

criticising my colleagues

Although I take no pleasure in criticising my colleagues in media, I must say that I find it quite difficult to digest the fact that many of the established voices in sports media, whose opinion has never been short on other matters, have seemingly gone silent on the Gayle/WICB issue.

While I can't say exactly why some of my media colleagues have decided to take a 'hands off' position on this issue, I rather suspect that it might well be a case of them not wanting to get on the wrong side of some friends on the board, who might be intimately involved in dishing out the bad treatment to Gayle.

My hope at this time is that CARICOM will be expeditious in dealing with the issue as the WICB, which is hopelessly trapped in the muck created by the very big egos of some board members, lacks the capacity to be fair and would simply prefer to be judge, jury and executioner in this matter.

Feel free to send your feedback to adrianfrater@hotmail.com