“He is probably very good friends with them but I didn’t expect an outburst like that”
Image courtesy of: ESPNcricinfo
West Indies chief selector Clive Lloyd has slammed opening batsman Chris Gayle for criticising the national selectors after all-rounders Kieron Pollard and Dwayne Bravo were not included in the World Cup squad.
Gayle went on to call the decision “ridiculous” and even said that Pollard and Bravo had been “victimised”.
“There was a lot of discussion about leaving them out but we are confident we have done the right thing,” Lloyd, who led the West Indies to World Cup glory in 1975 and 1979, said on The Morning View on Sky Sports. “I don’t know why he (Gayle) should be hurt. You can’t please everybody when you choose teams, you have to play with the team and what is given.
“He is probably very good friends with them but I didn’t expect an outburst like that.
“I don’t think it’s in keeping with (our) standards and I think there should be a code of conduct. Anybody can now say what they like about selection.
“I think that’s wrong and I hope they rectify it as soon as possible.”
Lloyd also believes that Gayle’s comments could undermine the entire team since certain players may question whether they deserved to be picked.
“What you are saying is the captain has got the wrong side,” Lloyd said. “England have no (Alastair) Cook or (Kevin) Pietersen but the team is still out there trying their best.
“They are trying to pick the best team possible. We have done that for the last 10 years and we still haven’t moved off the bottom rung of the ladder.”
Lloyd also admitted that captain Jason Holder faces a tough task ahead as he has to find a way to unite the players before the World Cup gets underway on February 14.
“It’s a huge challenge to captain West Indies,” Lloyd said. “It’s different from captaining any other country in the sense that we have a plethora of islands, with different cultures and different backgrounds.
“I think he has got the ability to galvanise those players into a winning combination.
“We will have to see how he goes with the older guys and the younger fellas in getting them to gel together. It’s a learning process for him but he is an intelligent man and I am sure he will learn quickly and we hope we can get a few wins under our belts.”
When asked how England would fare in the World Cup, Lloyd said: “They have a new captain and England have decided to give someone young (a chance) and players will want to play for him. He seems to be a very intelligent young man and I am sure he will get the best out of his players.
“There are so many other teams there but England could be the surprise team of the tournament.”