Gayle believes off-field issues are unavoidable during a cricketer’s career

West Indies flamboyant opening batsman Chris Gayle has revealed that off-field problems are a part of every cricketer’s international career.

Since making his international return in June, Gayle has already scored a Test century against New Zealand and played a vital role in helping the West Indies take home the International Cricket Council (ICC) World Twenty20 trophy.

However, Gayle also noted that dealing with administration and cricket board issues is a “part of life” for an international cricketer.

“We are playing international cricket, so there’s going to be issues to deal with on and off the field, as a player you have to know how to deal with things around your career. You have to be strong-minded to get the job done. It is part of life,” Gayle said.

After the 2011 ICC World Cup, Gayle’s heated dispute with the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) escalated to an all-time high and as a result, he was left out of numerous series.

During Gayle’s exile from the national team, the West Indies only managed to win 14 out of their 47 international matches, which shows just how instrumental the flamboyant opener is.

Gayle’s dispute with the WICB was only resolved after he met with the national selectors in St Vincent, who agreed to pick him for limited overs series against England in June.

Gayle stated that cricketers cannot back down from these types of issues and instead noted that they must be resolved as quickly as possible.

“We will always have these things to deal with off the field, every particular board is going to have problems. It is something we have to live with,” Gayle added.

Since his return, Gayle has also been averaging over 50 in both ODIs and Twenty20 Internationals and, according to reports, he has been up to his old tricks in the dressing room as well.

“If you don’t have fun, you’ll struggle in international cricket. I am enjoying it, it’s good to be back and contributing at the top of the order. Hopefully in the next couple of years, things can get better from a personal point of view. I will try and entertain as much as possible,” Gayle said.

Gayle mentioned he was proud when the West Indies won the World Twenty20 in Sri Lanka, but added that it was time to shift the team’s focus from limited overs cricket to Test cricket.

“It is great, to get that milestone of winning the World T20, this is something that I can look back in the future and say I was a part of it. This is just another target we can set, and do better in the longer form of the game. That has been our major challenge in the last couple of years,” Gayle said.

However, the flamboyant opener did take a moment to say that none of what the West Indies have achieved would have been possible without the outstanding captaincy of Darren Sammy.

“He has played a particular role in the last two years, it is not an easy role to be captain. We are trying to make his job as easy as possible. We try to play a part by helping him out, but he’s done well. He got a Test century this year which is a big improvement from his personal point of view. He’s doing well with the ball too. He will get to learn more and make changes and see how he can cope with it, to be a better captain,” Gayle added.