WICB rejects Gayle as stand-in captain

Chris Gayle: picked by the selectors, vetoed by the board © Getty Images

It is being reported that the West Indies Cricket Board has rejected the selectors' choice of Chris Gayle as stand-in captain for the one-day series against England and the quadrangular series in Ireland which follows.

The caribbeancricket.com website reported that the selectors met last weekend and picked Gayle to lead the side with Denesh Ramdin as his vice captain. But when those choices were passed to the WICB executive committee for approval both were rejected.

Gordon Greenidge, the head of the three-man selection panel, was then summoned to meet with WICB officials and notified of their decision. Furthermore, the officials advised him that they had picked Daren Ganga as captain, even though he was not in the original one-day squad, with Shiv Chanderpaul as his vice-captain.

Tony Deyal, the WICB's corporate communications manager, told caribbeancricket.com that the selection of the tour party should have followed the naming of the captain, as that individual should then have sat with the selectors to pick the side.

"I am not in a position to confirm that [the captaincy] right now," Bruce Aanensen, the WICB's chief executive, told Cricinfo. "There are differences between the selection committee and the board [which need to be addressed] before we can announce either the captain or the squad. We expect to be able to do so in the next 24 hours."

This raises serious issues about who selects not only the captain but also the team. It is reported that the selectors have no problem with the decision to veto Gayle but they feel strongly that the WICB should not involve itself in choosing the squad.

"Ganga is not in the ODI team. If the board picks him as captain, then they are essentially picking the team," a well-placed source with knowledge of the situation told caribbeancricket.com.

There is also a row over the A team squad for the tour of Zimbabwe. The selectors picked Ryan Hinds as vice-captain to Sylvester Joseph only for the WICB to veto it and pick Narsingh Deonarine.