WICB AND GAYLE

[weary1969]

Meeting should have taken place yday. Anybody hear anything? D haterz only speculating.

[rotatopoti3]

Gayle's future in doubt after heated meeting
Sriram Veera in Kingston
June 15, 2011

Chris Gayle is highly unlikely to play in the Test series against India and is in danger of not representing West Indies in the near future. A heated meeting on Wednesday night between the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) and Gayle's camp ended in a stalemate, according to those present, with conflicting reports from both sides over what had happened in the meeting.

After the meeting, a West Indies board source told ESPNcricinfo there was a possibility that Gayle's career could go down the same road as that of Andrew Symonds, who now plies his trade only as a freelance player in domestic Twenty20 events across the world and does not play for Australia. Gayle's camp said this prediction made by the board was an indication that the WICB wanted to end the international career of the former West Indies captain. They also said the meeting had proved the board was in no mood to arrive at a compromise, refusing to negotiate unless Gayle retracted statements he made in a radio interview in April.

Gayle was present at the three-hour meeting along with Ramnarine and WIPA vice-president Wavell Hinds, while the board was represented by Hilaire, coach Ottis Gibson, team manager Richie Richardson and director of cricket Tony Howard.

After the meeting on Wednesday, in which tempers are said to have flared, allegations from both camps flew thick and fast.  A WICB source alleged that Dinanath Ramnarine, the president of the West Indies Players Association (WIPA), had lifted his chair and threatened to assault the board CEO Ernest Hilaire. WIPA denied the incident but conceded that there had been verbal disagreements and that Ramnarine had got out from his chair at one point, but had neither lifted the chair nor tried to hit Hilaire.

A WIPA source said the meeting ended with Hilaire saying he would have to speak with the WICB management and the selectors before any more action was taken. No further meeting between the two parties was scheduled. The West Indies board will meet on June 17 in Kingston, with a new round of players contracts due in three months. The Gayle issue is also expected to be discussed.

The WICB wants Gayle to retract the statements he made on radio earlier this year, during an interview in which he alleged the board had mismanaged his injury, that coach Gibson had damaged Ramnaresh Sarwan's confidence, and the board mishandled his contract talks in October 2010.

The player's camp said they were willing to negotiate but the WICB had been adamant and wanted to end Gayle's career to set a precedent. "They just want him to beg and apologise," the WIPA source said. "We were willing to bury the past and move on but they weren't willing. We asked two things. One: why didn't they pick up Gayle? Two: what's the next step from here and what's the time-frame? The board didn't give any time-frame. The thing is just hanging now."

According to the WICB Gayle wanted to brush his allegations made during the radio interview under the carpet and that WIPA was now demanding that he be selected. "They didn't want to retract the statements made which is not acceptable to us," the board source said. "Their claim is that Gayle was upset when he said that and it was just a statement made in that context. The board doesn't agree. You can't make unsubstantiated statements against the board, the coach, and the other issues and just say that you were upset. Gayle has to retract his statements."

If Gayle retracts his statements, the board would likely view the incident as a minor indiscretion, penalise him accordingly, and select him.

The WIPA claims the board doesn't want to see a resolution over the issue and wants to bury both Gayle's career and the players association along with it. "We went in thinking that the issue will be resolved but to our horror they weren't just in the mood," a WIPA source said. "They made lots of false allegations. The real issue is the selection of Gayle. Clearly, they don't want to. It's a big ego issue for them and they are dragging West Indies cricket down with them."

The issue dates back to October 2010, when Gayle refused to sign a contract with the board. The WICB claims that Gayle wanted the board to buy him out of his IPL contract. "It was before the IPL auction time," the board source said. "Gayle said he went for US $800,000 in the last year and wanted the same amount."

Kieron Pollard and Dwayne Bravo, who initially adopted the same position as Gayle, later reached an agreement with the board. They would accept match fees for playing in games for West Indies and were allowed to play in the IPL.

It is understood that later, when Gayle approached the board for a no-objection certificate to play in the IPL, the board agreed because they didn't want to be dragged to the court on a "restraint of trade" clause.

As things stand, a resolution between the board and Gayle now seems extremely unlikely.

Sriram Veera is a staff writer at ESPNcricinfo

 Feeds: Sriram Veera
© ESPN EMEA Ltd.

[weary1969]

Stevie Wonder saw that coming.

[dwolfman]

There's no way Gayle should be allowed to just "bury" his KLAN statements and move on as if nothing happened. So what if he was upset? It's not petulant 6-year olds we dealing with. I know what I am about to say will not be popular and probably not even understood, but c'est la vie... The Lara chickens are coming home to roost. WICB, TTCB, QPCC et al allowed him to do what he wanted when he wanted, often completely disregarding team rules or even basic rules of group discipline. The result, the player became bigger than the game, so now any of our reasonably successful cricketers will demand nothing less than free reign to say or do whatever the want. Their personal interest is their sole interest, team gains are incidental and as a result sporadic at best.

In the meantime the WICB are trying to regain control using methods better suited for plantation days leaving us a big problem.

Gayle needs to be a big man and accept responsibility for his statements, that is how his side should be prepared to "move forward". An apology is not a sign of weakness, especially when the situation warrants one. That is an age old Caribbean male mentality that both sides are holding on to. So while they beat their chests and roar into the forest nothing is being done to improve the situation. The WICB needs to soften their stance in terms of how they communicate. Again, being accomodating is not a sign of weakness. A lot will be done to help this situation if they accept WIPA as part of the communication process and respect the wishes of the players to include WIPA in their contractual/professional decision-making. They can't always have it their way, especially at first time of asking. Allow players to respectfully question and try to come to mutually acceptable compromises.

[MEP]

How de f**k Lara involved in this?

[Controversial]

There's no way Gayle should be allowed to just "bury" his KLAN statements and move on as if nothing happened. So what if he was upset? It's not petulant 6-year olds we dealing with. I know what I am about to say will not be popular and probably not even understood, but c'est la vie... The Lara chickens are coming home to roost. WICB, TTCB, QPCC et al allowed him to do what he wanted when he wanted, often completely disregarding team rules or even basic rules of group discipline. The result, the player became bigger than the game, so now any of our reasonably successful cricketers will demand nothing less than free reign to say or do whatever the want. Their personal interest is their sole interest, team gains are incidental and as a result sporadic at best.

In the meantime the WICB are trying to regain control using methods better suited for plantation days leaving us a big problem.

Gayle needs to be a big man and accept responsibility for his statements, that is how his side should be prepared to "move forward". An apology is not a sign of weakness, especially when the situation warrants one. That is an age old Caribbean male mentality that both sides are holding on to. So while they beat their chests and roar into the forest nothing is being done to improve the situation. The WICB needs to soften their stance in terms of how they communicate. Again, being accomodating is not a sign of weakness. A lot will be done to help this situation if they accept WIPA as part of the communication process and respect the wishes of the players to include WIPA in their contractual/professional decision-making. They can't always have it their way, especially at first time of asking. Allow players to respectfully question and try to come to mutually acceptable compromises.

you obviously don't know what is going on do you

[Conquering Lion]

There's no way Gayle should be allowed to just "bury" his KLAN statements and move on as if nothing happened. So what if he was upset? It's not petulant 6-year olds we dealing with. I know what I am about to say will not be popular and probably not even understood, but c'est la vie... The Lara chickens are coming home to roost. WICB, TTCB, QPCC et al allowed him to do what he wanted when he wanted, often completely disregarding team rules or even basic rules of group discipline. The result, the player became bigger than the game, so now any of our reasonably successful cricketers will demand nothing less than free reign to say or do whatever the want. Their personal interest is their sole interest, team gains are incidental and as a result sporadic at best.

In the meantime the WICB are trying to regain control using methods better suited for plantation days leaving us a big problem.

Gayle needs to be a big man and accept responsibility for his statements, that is how his side should be prepared to "move forward". An apology is not a sign of weakness, especially when the situation warrants one. That is an age old Caribbean male mentality that both sides are holding on to. So while they beat their chests and roar into the forest nothing is being done to improve the situation. The WICB needs to soften their stance in terms of how they communicate. Again, being accomodating is not a sign of weakness. A lot will be done to help this situation if they accept WIPA as part of the communication process and respect the wishes of the players to include WIPA in their contractual/professional decision-making. They can't always have it their way, especially at first time of asking. Allow players to respectfully question and try to come to mutually acceptable compromises.

you obviously don't know what is going on do you

What he is trying to say is that it is like a "Mexican showdown" where both sides have guns drawn and screaming for blood. This is where diplomacy should prevail (from both sides). In other words, Gayle cannot just expect WICB to ignore what he said carte blanche, and the WICB cannot expect to say "no pick unless we get a public apology."

I also think the egos of Ernest Hillaire and Ramnarine are also in the mix here. A simple solution would be for both parties to come to an agreement behind closed doors. Gayle fined a small thing for breaching article xxx and reinstated to team

[dwolfman]

MEP and Controversial, no surprise there.

Thanks CL. At least one person on this site passed English Language.

[weary1969]

I really tired of u peeps calling Lara name.  The WI TEAM WAS INDISCIPLINE long b4 Lara

FYI

In 1990 Viv leave Haynes to captin the team while he cuss of Christopher Martin Jenkins in d press box.

In 1994 Winston Benjamin was send home from the tour of England

WICB created d monster that is Gayle. Hunte ignored d recommendation from Ken Gordon to disvipline him when he took over d presidency.

Is 4 yrs Lara retire and he still bein g blame. ALL YUH FELLAS BETTER THAN D BEST

[dwolfman]

Who cares if you tired hear Lara name call? Who is you?

Players in different sports all over the world will break rules, but they are disciplined when they do. Ent yuh now say Benjamin was SENT HOME from England? Your point has no logic to it. On top of that one day I hope my West Indian people can learn the difference between blame and responsibility. I've blamed Lara neither for the poor performance of the West Indies team nor their indiscipline. However, his lack of discipline AND the management's (include QPCC, TTCB and WICB) refusal to get him to tow the line has contributed to players on this current team thinking it is okay to do or say whatever you want regardless of team rules. Gayle didn't play in the time of Viv Richards he played in the time of Brian Lara.

[weary1969]

Who cares if you tired hear Lara name call? Who is you?

Players in different sports all over the world will break rules, but they are disciplined when they do. Ent yuh now say Benjamin was SENT HOME from England? Your point has no logic to it. On top of that one day I hope my West Indian people can learn the difference between blame and responsibility. I've blamed Lara neither for the poor performance of the West Indies team nor their indiscipline. However, his lack of discipline AND the management's (include QPCC, TTCB and WICB) refusal to get him to tow the line has contributed to players on this current team thinking it is okay to do or say whatever you want regardless of team rules. Gayle didn't play in the time of Viv Richards he played in the time of Brian Lara.

So Viv did not sow d seeds of indiscipline that Lara and Gayle reap? D fact that Benjamin was sent home meant a problem existed but if u hear peeps like u talk d only indiscipline cricketer who played for the WI was Brian Lara.

As 4 who I am I am a sport fan who follows sports and know nonesense when I see it and hear it.

[dwolfman]

As 4 who I am I am a sport fan who follows sports and know nonesense when I see it and hear it.

You should know nonsense, you speak it often enough. Up to my last post I said indiscipline exists in all sports among many athletes, so yet again it is you showing a basic lack of comprehension of a simple point. It was never that Lara was the only indisciplined cricketer, it is that he was allowed to get away with doing whatever it is he wanted to do and that included being abusive towards his captains, other players and coaches. It also included skipping team sessions and team transportation and other team oriented activitied. That is not my opinion, that is fact. Chris Gayle and this group never saw Viv Richards behave like that to draw any example from so it is foolish beyong belief to use his behavior as a template for theirs. Not even Lara can say he learned to be like that watching Richards or any of the players from that era.

It is our very denial of simple facts that have helped us - all of us - get the team we want and the team we deserve. An undisciplined, unmotivated bunch of hyped up divas. We get hyper defensive of the fact that Lara, brilliant individual that he was, was destructive for team progress and as the best player on the team what he did had a much bigger effect than when less talented players transgressed. Had his behavior been checked early on a lot of the disciplinary issues we have now would be easier to manage. Notice, what I have said. It is not his fault or whatever nonsensical argument you like to suggest every time his name comes up negatively, but along with other contributary factors he helped create a stituation where even the marginal players think that it is their right to do whatever it is they want whenever they want to do it.

To solve our problems with the team we have to take long hard look at ourselves, players, management, administrators and fans alike. Things stay the same here because we always excse nonsense behavior from people and then when something big or bad happens now rush to drop the anvil on them. Be involved in any well organised progressive programme first before you come here talking all your cosign crap being all defensive of a man who for anyone born outside of T&T can see that all his individual achievements came at a heavy privce for Windies cricket.

[weary1969]

As 4 who I am I am a sport fan who follows sports and know nonesense when I see it and hear it.

You should know nonsense, you speak it often enough. Up to my last post I said indiscipline exists in all sports among many athletes, so yet again it is you showing a basic lack of comprehension of a simple point. It was never that Lara was the only indisciplined cricketer, it is that he was allowed to get away with doing whatever it is he wanted to do and that included being abusive towards his captains, other players and coaches. It also included skipping team sessions and team transportation and other team oriented activitied. That is not my opinion, that is fact. Chris Gayle and this group never saw Viv Richards behave like that to draw any example from so it is foolish beyong belief to use his behavior as a template for theirs. Not even Lara can say he learned to be like that watching Richards or any of the players from that era.

It is our very denial of simple facts that have helped us - all of us - get the team we want and the team we deserve. An undisciplined, unmotivated bunch of hyped up divas. We get hyper defensive of the fact that Lara, brilliant individual that he was, was destructive for team progress and as the best player on the team what he did had a much bigger effect than when less talented players transgressed. Had his behavior been checked early on a lot of the disciplinary issues we have now would be easier to manage. Notice, what I have said. It is not his fault or whatever nonsensical argument you like to suggest every time his name comes up negatively, but along with other contributary factors he helped create a stituation where even the marginal players think that it is their right to do whatever it is they want whenever they want to do it.

To solve our problems with the team we have to take long hard look at ourselves, players, management, administrators and fans alike. Things stay the same here because we always excse nonsense behavior from people and then when something big or bad happens now rush to drop the anvil on them. Be involved in any well organised progressive programme first before you come here talking all your cosign crap being all defensive of a man who for anyone born outside of T&T can see that all his individual achievements came at a heavy privce for Windies cricket.

So because dey did not see indiscipline meant it had no effect. Because Viv got away wit murder Lara felt he could have done d same so Gayle etal feel they can do the same. So u never say is only Lara was indisipline but by pure coincidence is his name that get call when we talkin bout players who were indiscipline. Ok another bright 1 who all knowing and evrybody else dumb.

[MEP]

Again show me how Lara was indisciplined? because he had a mind of his own and he saw things differently to the WICBC... he wasn't abusive to his captains....the fact is his genius saw the game differently to those half-wits and had they perhaps listened to him the outcome of some games would have been different.

[dwolfman]

So because dey did not see indiscipline meant it had no effect. Because Viv got away wit murder Lara felt he could have done d same so Gayle etal feel they can do the same. So u never say is only Lara was indisipline but by pure coincidence is his name that get call when we talkin bout players who were indiscipline. Ok another bright 1 who all knowing and evrybody else dumb.

We have drifted way from the point, basically as I expected. No, I am not all knowing and no, not everyone else is dumb, not even you or Controversial. What you, in particular, are is blinded by insularity and are refusing to face the fact that your hero was flawed and that these flaws contributed to some of the problems Windies face today. Certainly it has done more than anything Richards could have hoped to accomplish.

Windies when Viv Richards played won matches, guys worked hard and by and large were a disciplined bunch of guys. Richards was a strong, outspoken personality and I think a bit rough around the edges. To compare that with Lara's time is pointless since we lost consistently with guys far better than this useless bunch. Windies players today don't recognise many of the Legends of our game when they meet them, you expect me to believe that these people have influenced their game or their behavior more than someone they played with? Lara had a massive impact on Windies cricket, when it is positive we freely acknowledge and even boast about it and when it is not we bury our heads in the sand and lable anyone who dares to suggest anything less than a glowing recommendation all variety fool or ignorant.

Joey Carew had more to do with Lara getting away with murder than Richards. Not in Richards's wildest dreams could he have influenced Lara to any major degree, positively or negatively. At the end of the day whether or not you agree with that assessment does not matter. We are faced with a player, Gayle, and the player support system, WIPA, who are perpetuating an overall lack of accountability for an individual's actions. It can never be acceptable for a player to publicly say what Gayle said and then expect to continue playing without properly accounting for it. Using the WICB's own shortcomings to justify it backward and just makes things worse.

[MEP]

So because dey did not see indiscipline meant it had no effect. Because Viv got away wit murder Lara felt he could have done d same so Gayle etal feel they can do the same. So u never say is only Lara was indisipline but by pure coincidence is his name that get call when we talkin bout players who were indiscipline. Ok another bright 1 who all knowing and evrybody else dumb.

We have drifted way from the point, basically as I expected. No, I am not all knowing and no, not everyone else is dumb, not even you or Controversial. What you, in particular, are is blinded by insularity and are refusing to face the fact that your hero was flawed and that these flaws contributed to some of the problems Windies face today. Certainly it has done more than anything Richards could have hoped to accomplish.

Windies when Viv Richards played won matches, guys worked hard and by and large were a disciplined bunch of guys. Richards was a strong, outspoken personality and I think a bit rough around the edges. To compare that with Lara's time is pointless since we lost consistently with guys far better than this useless bunch. Windies players today don't recognise many of the Legends of our game when they meet them, you expect me to believe that these people have influenced their game or their behavior more than someone they played with? Lara had a massive impact on Windies cricket, when it is positive we freely acknowledge and even boast about it and when it is not we bury our heads in the sand and lable anyone who dares to suggest anything less than a glowing recommendation all variety fool or ignorant.

Joey Carew had more to do with Lara getting away with murder than Richards. Not in Richards's wildest dreams could he have influenced Lara to any major degree, positively or negatively. At the end of the day whether or not you agree with that assessment does not matter. We are faced with a player, Gayle, and the player support system, WIPA, who are perpetuating an overall lack of accountability for an individual's actions. It can never be acceptable for a player to publicly say what Gayle said and then expect to continue playing without properly accounting for it. Using the WICB's own shortcomings to justify it backward and just makes things worse.

The first thing you do not understand is the relationship of the WICBC to the West Indies.... is you can move past that then maybe we can have an intelligent discussion.

[weary1969]

So because dey did not see indiscipline meant it had no effect. Because Viv got away wit murder Lara felt he could have done d same so Gayle etal feel they can do the same. So u never say is only Lara was indisipline but by pure coincidence is his name that get call when we talkin bout players who were indiscipline. Ok another bright 1 who all knowing and evrybody else dumb.

We have drifted way from the point, basically as I expected. No, I am not all knowing and no, not everyone else is dumb, not even you or Controversial. What you, in particular, are is blinded by insularity and are refusing to face the fact that your hero was flawed and that these flaws contributed to some of the problems Windies face today. Certainly it has done more than anything Richards could have hoped to accomplish.

Windies when Viv Richards played won matches, guys worked hard and by and large were a disciplined bunch of guys. Richards was a strong, outspoken personality and I think a bit rough around the edges. To compare that with Lara's time is pointless since we lost consistently with guys far better than this useless bunch. Windies players today don't recognise many of the Legends of our game when they meet them, you expect me to believe that these people have influenced their game or their behavior more than someone they played with? Lara had a massive impact on Windies cricket, when it is positive we freely acknowledge and even boast about it and when it is not we bury our heads in the sand and lable anyone who dares to suggest anything less than a glowing recommendation all variety fool or ignorant.

Joey Carew had more to do with Lara getting away with murder than Richards. Not in Richards's wildest dreams could he have influenced Lara to any major degree, positively or negatively. At the end of the day whether or not you agree with that assessment does not matter. We are faced with a player, Gayle, and the player support system, WIPA, who are perpetuating an overall lack of accountability for an individual's actions. It can never be acceptable for a player to publicly say what Gayle said and then expect to continue playing without properly accounting for it. Using the WICB's own shortcomings to justify it backward and just makes things worse.

U missed d pt by a country mile. I neva accused Viv of letting Lara get away wit murder. All I am saying that the WI team has been indiscipline long time. However, we were winning so it did not matter but when we strt to loose is because the players indiscipline and d poster boi 4 indiscipline is not was is Brian Lara.

As 4 d Gaylle issue d WICB created that monster when Ken Gordon in he hand over 2 Hunte say discipline Gayle nobody eh take him on. As 4 what he said what did Otis say as a coach who discipline him? When a director referred to him as Dudus the WICB wash dey hands like Pontus Pilate and say he on his own.

[vb]

I could see a next strike coming:


Regional players union WIPA has given West Indies Cricket Board chief executive Ernest Hilaire a seven-day ultimatum to apologise to its head Dinanath Ramnarine for remarks made at a stormy meeting in Jamaica last week. Without detailing what the remarks were, WIPA said they had been “defamatory” and accused the regional governing body for cricket of engaging in “street tactics”
This follows a stinging statement from the WICB on Sunday accusing Ramnarine of “threatening action” against Hilaire during the meeting that had been called to resolve Chris Gayle controversy…

“WIPA is satisfied with the report it has received from its representatives and members at the meeting and calls on Mr Hilaire to make an unreserved and unconditional withdrawal and apology to Mr Dinanath Ramnarine for the defamatory remarks he has made at the meeting within the next seven days…”


Regional players union WIPA has given West Indies Cricket Board chief executive Ernest Hilaire a seven-day ultimatum to apologise to its head Dinanath Ramnarine for remarks made at a stormy meeting in Jamaica last week. Without detailing what the remarks were, WIPA said they had been “defamatory” and accused the regional governing body for cricket of engaging in “street tactics”
This follows a stinging statement from the WICB on Sunday accusing Ramnarine of “threatening action” against Hilaire during the meeting that had been called to resolve Chris Gayle controversy…

“WIPA is satisfied with the report it has received from its representatives and members at the meeting and calls on Mr Hilaire to make an unreserved and unconditional withdrawal and apology to Mr Dinanath Ramnarine for the defamatory remarks he has made at the meeting within the next seven days…”

[weary1969]

I could see a next strike coming:


Regional players union WIPA has given West Indies Cricket Board chief executive Ernest Hilaire a seven-day ultimatum to apologise to its head Dinanath Ramnarine for remarks made at a stormy meeting in Jamaica last week. Without detailing what the remarks were, WIPA said they had been “defamatory” and accused the regional governing body for cricket of engaging in “street tactics”
This follows a stinging statement from the WICB on Sunday accusing Ramnarine of “threatening action” against Hilaire during the meeting that had been called to resolve Chris Gayle controversy…

“WIPA is satisfied with the report it has received from its representatives and members at the meeting and calls on Mr Hilaire to make an unreserved and unconditional withdrawal and apology to Mr Dinanath Ramnarine for the defamatory remarks he has made at the meeting within the next seven days…”


Regional players union WIPA has given West Indies Cricket Board chief executive Ernest Hilaire a seven-day ultimatum to apologise to its head Dinanath Ramnarine for remarks made at a stormy meeting in Jamaica last week. Without detailing what the remarks were, WIPA said they had been “defamatory” and accused the regional governing body for cricket of engaging in “street tactics”
This follows a stinging statement from the WICB on Sunday accusing Ramnarine of “threatening action” against Hilaire during the meeting that had been called to resolve Chris Gayle controversy…

“WIPA is satisfied with the report it has received from its representatives and members at the meeting and calls on Mr Hilaire to make an unreserved and unconditional withdrawal and apology to Mr Dinanath Ramnarine for the defamatory remarks he has made at the meeting within the next seven days…”

Now comin 2 post this.

[dwolfman]

U missed d pt by a country mile. I neva accused Viv of letting Lara get away wit murder. All I am saying that the WI team has been indiscipline long time. However, we were winning so it did not matter but when we strt to loose is because the players indiscipline and d poster boi 4 indiscipline is not was is Brian Lara.

As 4 d Gaylle issue d WICB created that monster when Ken Gordon in he hand over 2 Hunte say discipline Gayle nobody eh take him on. As 4 what he said what did Otis say as a coach who discipline him? When a director referred to him as Dudus the WICB wash dey hands like Pontus Pilate and say he on his own.

It would be nice if you would at least requote me properly. I never said Viv let Lara get away with murder. And your point still carries no weight against what I am saying because first, having disciplinary issues does not equal indiscipline and second, even you gave an example of a player being disciplined for breaking the rules.

As it stands we aren't even coming to an agreement on what the other person is saying so I'll leave this here and we'll see what happens here with this latest display of Caribbean bravado. In the meantime Wavell Hinds made a nice statement about Gayle being willing to apologise and that both sides should be doing what's best for Windies cricket. The lip service continues.

[boss]

Gayle speaks out
Stabroek News | Friday, July 1, 2011

GAYLE BREAKS SILENCE ON WICB TREATMENT

(WIPA) I, Christopher Henry Gayle, am making this statement so that all my friends, fans and followers who continue to wonder why I am not being picked for the West Indies team despite being fit, available and in form will know the truth considering the many rumours and statements that have been made as it relates to this issue. Until now, I have kept my silence, but I believe that the time has come for you to all know what I plan to do about this extremely frustrating and humiliating situation.

Ever since I was a little boy growing upin Rollington Town, and living in the shadow of Sabina Park I had two dreams.  The first was to play for Jamaica and the second to play for the West Indies.  Fortunately, and thanks to the Almighty, I have been able to achieve both of them.  I have been Captain of both Jamaica and of the West Indies, and have worn both uniforms with pride and served with distinction.

I find it really painful now to hear that I did not give my best or that I lost my commitment to the cause of West Indies Cricket.  This is not true.  I have always given my all.  I have always played with my heart and soul.  I am not a boastful person.  I normally don’t speak until I have to.  I try not to show in my face what is in my heart but now my heart is heavy.  I have played with injuries.  I have played with pain.  But nothing in my life has been more painful and more injurious to my spirit than what has been done to me in the past few months.  Nothing.

I want to take you back to September 2009 when  Ernest Hilaire who was not yet the CEO of the West Indies Cricket Board cast doubts on my being retained as the West Indies Captain despite my performance in that role.  I thought that what I was seeing was a statement made in error. I did not know at the time that what I was seeing was the writing on the wall and what was being written about me was not pleasant or true.

Ernest Hilaire acted quickly.  At a meeting of the WICB held in October 2009, as soon as he took up office, the Board questioned the recommendation of the selectors that I should be Captain of the team to tour Australia.  Eight members voted for me and five members of the Board voted against me.  Clive Lloyd, who had praised me highly before was one of them who did not want me as Captain.  He never said anything to me about why he was no longer on my side.  Joel Garner who was the Manager of the West Indies team and who worked with me closely on the Stanford game which we won voted against my being Captain of the West Indies.  Conde Riley from Barbados voted against me.  Most surprising is the man who said publicly that he always supported me as Captain.  Professor Sir Hilary Beckles voted against me so when he says that he pushed for me to be Captain you have to decide whether to believe Beckles or the Minutes of the Meeting.  Gregory Shillingford of the Leeward Islands voted against me.  The Board decided to appoint a Committee to meet with me and it should be no surprise that among the members of that Committee were Messrs. Lloyd, Garner and Beckles.  Looking back, Inow realise that I have been put in a no-win situation since 2009.

I found out how bad things were when the WICB held a meeting in St Lucia in July last year.  I saw the Minutes of the Meeting later.  In reporting on why he thought that the West Indies had not done well in the T20 World Cup, the Coach, Otis Gibson, said “the Captain was not a natural leader” and that “Senior players and some others lack a passion for the game.” He also said that “there was no evidence of leadership qualities among the senior players” and that the “Captain is not a student of the game and lacks tactical awareness on the field.”

The sad and horrible thing is that Gibson never said anything to me about how he felt about me before or after his report.  He is a man who sought my advice when things were not going well.  Before he became the West Indies Coach he used to call me often.  I could never imagine that he would deliberately try to destroy my character, reputation and livelihood or question my commitment to West Indies cricket.  I would not have believed, until I saw it in black and white, that he would devalue my leadership and try to destroy me without giving me a chance to respond.  The WICB should have invited me to that meeting to face my accuser and, as Captain, to give my views about why we did not do well.  What also hurts me is that there are three members of the Jamaica Cricket Association who are on the WICB and none of them told their colleagues on the Board, “Wait.  We believe that Chris should be allowed to defend himself” or even “We need to hear from the Captain.”  None of them.

Coach Gibson recommended to the Board that they should “select the team on character” which means that by leaving me out the WICB, including the Jamaican Directors, feels that I have no character.

In October I was sacked as Captain and still have no idea why.  I did not protest since the Captaincy is not a right.  It is a duty.  I went on the Sri Lanka tour having recommitted myself to West Indies Cricket and giving the new Captain the assurance that I would support him.  I played the best test innings of my life in the first test and contributed 333 runs out of a team total of 580 in that match.  Nobody questioned my commitment then.

It was after the World Cup when the Board was looking for people to blame for the poor performance of the team that they picked on me and the other senior players.  This time it was not the Captaincy that was the issue but the senior players.  Gibson said we lacked the hunger and the desire to succeed.  Would I be where I am today as a cricketer if I lacked the desire and hunger to succeed?  It was the easy way out.  There are people who will constantly refuse to look deeply into themselves and question their own actions and motives while there are others to blame.  I was an easy target and my 333 was forgotten, and all my years of blood, sweat and toil for the West Indies cause was abruptly cast aside.

I played with an injury during the World Cup and returned to Jamaica to get myself in shape for the Home Series against Pakistan.  A camp was set up and nobody contacted me.  I was ignored.  The squad was picked for the first two ODIs.  I was again ignored and saw in the newspapers that I was omitted.  I read the comments of the WICB CEO Ernest Hilaire who said that we, the senior players, thought we were bigger than the team and all we wanted was money.  I then got an offer to play in India and went when the WICB made is publicly clear in its release to the media that Sarwan, Chanderpaul and Gayle was not considered for selection.  I did not turn my back on the West Indies because the West Indies had already turned its back on me.  I was not in the squad and it was clear that there was no intention to pick me.  I was being punished for the failure of an entire team and also of the administration.

What I did in India for the Bangalore Royal Challengers is history.  The management and fans of the team treated me with respect and showered me with love and support.  I did respond to the accusation made by the WICB CEO Ernest Hilaire that implied that I lacked commitment to West Indies Cricket.  I reminded him that I had to pay my own medical bills, which I hoped to be reimbursed at some stage.  The feeling by some people is that I started the whole thing. I did not.  What I have shown you is that there is a pattern in the attempt to paint me into a corner and destroy my career and reputation.  There was a pattern to marginalising me. Yes, therewas a pattern and what came next was the proof.

The proof came in a speech made by a Director of the WICB, Hilary Beckles, who had opposed my captaincy in 2009 despite his claims that he supported me.  Beckles compared me to a “Don” and my captaincy as “Donmanship”.  He likened me, Chris Gayle, to the notorious criminal and alleged drug dealer Christopher “Dudus” Coke.  Beckles says his second home is Jamaica so he knows the implications of what he said but in an effort to avoid the consequences, he says he was talking in a private capacity and not as a Director of the WICB.  The other Directors, especially the three from Jamaica who are on the WICB, did not say anything or do anything to clear my name or to get answers from the WICB.  They could have requested an emergency meeting of the WICB to ask why I was omitted and targeted but they did not.  They left me hanging out on a branch and were,at the same time, helping to cut that branch.

I want to tell you that I am not going to hide and say that this statement is in any other capacity.  I am Christopher Henry Gayle and I stand by what I say.  I am a professional cricketer and the former Captain of Jamaica and the West Indies.  This is my capacity.  This is my job.  This is my livelihood and this is my life.

I was not surprised when the WICB CEO Ernest Hilaire sent me a letter on June 2, 2011 in which they accused me of a number of incidents including “making myself unavailable for the home series against Pakistan, my interview on KLAS radio in Jamaica and several “tweets‟ which have suggested a general disenchantment on your part with West Indies cricket and the West Indies Cricket Board.”  He said that the Board wanted to make my considerable talent available to the West Indies and international cricket.

I took the Board seriously and went to the meeting which was held in Jamaica a few weeks ago.  The meeting ended without any commitment with regard to my future selection for the West Indies team again.  I thought that was the purpose of the meeting andwas foolish enough to believe that it would end with a decision about when I would be back on the team. Instead I have read about an incident between the President of WIPA Dinanath Ramnarine and the WICB CEO Ernest Hilaire that makes me question whether I was at the same meeting. Ramnarine was not the only person to lose his cool in that room and I can understand if someone falsely accuses you of attempting to siphon funds into some account that you will be understandably upset.  The accusations made by the WICB are not true.  I can say without fear of contradiction, and what I am saying has been supported by other people who were present at that meeting, that there was no picking up of any chair and Ramnarine never threatened Ernest Hilaire.It is unfortunate thatRamnarine is being accused of not representing my best interest at that meeting, a view I strongly disagree with. It was also reported that in some quarters that Ramnarine was responsible for the breakdown of the meeting, a view I strongly disagree with also since the meeting went on for more than one hour after certain accusations were made by the CEO WICB Ernest Hilaire at the meeting. But that was not why we were there and what we went there for was never accomplished.  When I saw the misleading reports coming out I realised that I was being used to cast blame on someone else and the meeting had other motives than my reinstatement. In other words it was a diversion of the real issue and the outcome of the meeting was clearly predetermined.

I was again put on hold.  My career was put on hold. My future was put on hold. My life was put on hold.  Ernest Hilaire said he could not do anything until he had spoken to the Board, the selection committee, the management and, although he didn’t say it out loud, the media.

I believe now it was deliberately staged to give the impression that the Board wanted me back and that the intention was always to string me along and to fool the people of the West Indies.

I made it clear that I was still willing to meet with the Board to resolve the issues.  On June 22, I wrote to WICB CEO Ernest Hilaire who had sent me an email the day before saying that I would also like to resolve the issue, and while I am willing to meet I would like to ask what it is you would like me to do?  I told him that I have not received any guidance, other than what has appeared in the media, as to what it is that needs to be done for me to be included in the West Indies team.  I said that I am putting in writing the willingness to meet with you as soon as possible.  I also said that time has been wasted and it would seem that the delays will ensure I am unable to play for the entire home series.  I pointed out to him that a meeting was not requested until the India series had almost begun, and the meeting was then delayed until after the Test Team for the 1st match was chosen and it has taken over a week for this meeting request to be sent.

The WICB CEO Ernest Hilaire wrote me back on June 24th complaining about my antagonistic approach and the tone of my email.   He said that the issue is more than my radio interview but is about a history of misunderstanding, miscommunication and mishandling of issues, on both sides. It cannot be easily swept under the carpet with the hope that it goes away. He said that I would have to meet with the team management and after that with the selectors and after that with the cricket operations department and only then he would meet with me before he could send a report to the Board.  He said he would not be available to meet with me until August.  This means that I will definitely not be playing against India and that I will be cooling my heels until after August- more than two months away and even then my matter would go to the Board if the WICB CEO Ernest Hilaire believes we have a final and agreed position.

I was glad that the Board admitted its own guilt in the situation and despite the fact that there seemed to be no end to this, I then met in yet another meeting with the Coach and the Team Manager on June 24th 2011 in Jamaica.I tried my best to compromise with the two representatives of the Board.  Still, despite this meeting and the fact that both sides agreed that significant progress had been made, I am still on hold.  My career is at a standstill.  My hopes of representing my country at home in the West Indies have been destroyed.  My contribution has been devalued and the fans of the West Indies who believe I can make a difference have had their hopes dashed. After the conclusion of this second meeting, my suspicions were confirmed and it was now beyond doubt that there was never any real intention of resolving any issues concerning me at the first meeting. The WICB CEO Ernest Hilaire’s letter of June 24th 2011 also confirmed this as well.

I have now reached the stage where I have to say that enough is enough.  I understand that the WICB and the Jamaica Board met and my matter was discussed but nobody has told me anything and I can only assume without any positive feedback there has been no resolution.  I played cricket for Jamaica and served the Board well.  I would have thought that from the beginning of this whole attempt to discredit me that the Board would have done or said something on my behalf.  I don’t want them to cover up for me but at least to ensure that I received natural justice and was able to respond to my accusers. They have all been silent.  The three members on the WICB Board have not asked for an emergency meeting, as they have the right and power to do, so that we can get everything cleared up.  Instead they leave me out here to dangle in the wind.

There is a disciplinary process in West Indies Cricket.  Yet the Board is allowed to be the complainant as well as policeman, judge, jury and executioner in my case.  When I tried to respond to the accusations made against me, I am deemed to be out of place and trying to destroy West Indies cricket.

I am now coming close to the end of my shelf-life as a cricketer.  While other professionals can plan on a career from the time they graduate from University to when they retire in their sixties, most cricketers have an average of eight years – between 24 and 32 – to earn enough money for the rest of our lives.  Some are lucky to be coaches or commentators.  I have no such option at this stage and must concentrate on providing for my family now and in the future.

On this basis, and not hearing from the West Indies Cricket Board with any clear pathway forward, I have come to the bitter realisation that I am not wanted by the Board and all that has gone before in terms of reconciliation is a sham and a mockery.  I see it as a scam to fool the people of the West Indies and the world into believing that they were serious about my returning to West Indies cricket.

My eyes are open, my heart is clean, my conscience is clear and the voice of reason is loud in my ears telling me that I should close this chapter in my life.  I am not going to be the WICB’s whipping boy.  They have said they will root me out and they have succeeded in doing so by using the sort of underhanded tactics while attempting to ascribe blame to other people for what is clear is a well planned set of action.

We as West Indies players are admired throughout the world for our honesty and sportsmanship.  Yet the custodians of West Indies cricket, the people who are responsible for the development of our heritage sport, have not dealt with us honestly.

It is against this background that I have now decided not to wait on the WICB any longer but while I still have the time and the skills to explore the opportunities available to me elsewhere.  I do it reluctantly but have no choice.  I have people to take care of and cannot sit for months waiting on WICB CEO Ernest Hilaire and the Board.

As for the Jamaica Cricket Association they have let me down badly even though I did meet with the new President of the JCA, Mr. Wright and Mr. Hinds but nothing has been done.

Despite all that has happened I am still hopeful that good sense will prevail and I would once again represent my country and my region in near the future. I wish to make it abundantly clear that I have not yet retired from any form of the game and remain available for selection for both Jamaica and West Indies. However, this is entirely out of my hands.

I want to say to my colleagues on the team, that I have opened the batting for the West Indies against some of the fiercest fast bowlers in the world bowling at almost 100 miles per hour. I have stood up to them as I am standing up for what I believe is right.  I want to tell them that if you don’t stand for something, you will fall for anything.

I appeal to the Heads of Government of CARICOM to do something about this situation. West Indies Cricket is different from the West Indies Cricket Board.  West Indies Cricket and West Indies Cricketers need help.  Since you are the people who represent the fans and all the other stakeholders, it is time for you to act.

Finally, I want to thank you all for your support and look forward to your continuing that support in future as I follow the path that the Almighty has mapped out for me.  I place my trust in God and believe that if your heart is pure and you have faith in Him, you will always triumph against oppression and adversity.  When one path is closed, there is another path opened for the righteous and pure in spirit.  I now set out on that path with confidence, safe in the assurance that I will succeed.       <ENDS>

[Bitter]

You have no Idea why you were sacked as Captain?
Check the records.

Undoubtedly the board do stupidness, because they didn't really need to go through all that to tell you take a break. (and they do you wrong with the IPL business, for sure), but my ability to relate is tempered by the dismal state of the team.  This means that any captain would receive my undying indifference, but injustice?

Why you don't pen a letter to the fans apologizing for the absolute dreck we've had to endure these long years?

[rotatopoti3]

West Indies news

Gayle to 'explore opportunities' but won't quit
ESPNcricinfo staff
July 1, 2011
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Chris Gayle says "enough is enough" © AFP
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Chris Gayle has said he "will explore the opportunities available" to him elsewhere since he can no longer wait on the WICB to resolve their issues with him, but is available for selection for West Indies and Jamaica and has ruled out retirement. In a long and emotional public statement he said communication with officials of the West Indies and Jamaica boards had broken down and traced the evolution of the long-running and bitter dispute back to 2009, when Ernest Hilaire, now CEO of the WICB, cast doubts on his ability to captain the team.

Gayle also referred to the recent efforts at rapprochement with Hilaire and said that Hilaire would not be able to meet him till August, ruling him out of West Indies' current home series against India.

"I have now reached the stage where I have to say that enough is enough," Gayle wrote. "I understand that the WICB and the Jamaica Board met and my matter was discussed but nobody has told me anything and I can only assume without any positive feedback there has been no resolution. There is a disciplinary process in West Indies cricket. Yet the board is allowed to be the complainant as well as policeman, judge, jury and executioner in my case. When I tried to respond to the accusations made against me, I am deemed to be out of place and trying to destroy West Indies cricket.

"I am now coming close to the end of my shelf-life as a cricketer ... and must concentrate on providing for my family now and in the future. On this basis, and not hearing from the West Indies Cricket Board with any clear pathway forward, I have come to the bitter realisation that I am not wanted by the board and all that has gone before in terms of reconciliation is a sham and a mockery. I see it as a scam to fool the people of the West Indies and the world into believing that they were serious about my returning to West Indies cricket.

"My eyes are open, my heart is clean, my conscience is clear and the voice of reason is loud in my ears telling me that I should close this chapter in my life. I am not going to be the WICB's whipping boy. We as West Indies players are admired throughout the world for our honesty and sportsmanship. Yet the custodians of West Indies cricket, the people who are responsible for the development of our heritage sport, have not dealt with us honestly.

"It is against this background that I have now decided not to wait on the WICB any longer but while I still have the time and the skills to explore the opportunities available to me elsewhere. I do it reluctantly but have no choice. I have people to take care of and cannot sit for months waiting on WICB CEO Ernest Hilaire and the board.

"Despite all that has happened I am still hopeful that good sense will prevail and I would once again represent my country and my region in near the future. I wish to make it abundantly clear that I have not yet retired from any form of the game and remain available for selection for both Jamaica and West Indies. However, this is entirely out of my hands."

Gayle suggested his exclusion from the series against India was part of a long-term plan to remove him from the team. The problem, Gayle said, goes back to 2009, since when he had "been put in a no-win situation". Soon after Hilaire took office that October, he said, the Board questioned the selectors' recommendation that he should captain the team to tour Australia. While eight members voted for him, five voted against. "Clive Lloyd, who had praised me highly before was one of them [who voted against]. He never said anything to me about why he was no longer on my side. Joel Garner, who was the manager of the West Indies team and who worked with me closely on the Stanford game which we won, was another. Conde Riley from Barbados too. Most surprising is the man who said publicly that he always supported me as captain. Professor Hilary Beckles voted against me so when he says that he pushed for me to be captain you have to decide whether to believe Beckles or the minutes of the meeting. Gregory Shillingford of the Leeward Islands voted against me."

The Board set up a committee to meet with him, he said, which included Lloyd, Garner and Beckles. He was then criticised in coach Ottis Gibson's report on the 2010 World Twenty20, which said, "the captain was not a natural leader" and "not a student of the game and lacks tactical awareness on the field." However, Gayle wrote, Gibson never said anything to him before or after his report. "He is a man who sought my advice when things were not going well. Before he became the West Indies coach he used to call me often."

In October 2010, Gayle was sacked as captain, and says he still has no idea why. "I did not protest since the captaincy is not a right. It is a duty." He said he went on the Sri Lanka tour in November 2010 having recommitted himself to West Indies cricket and backing Darren Sammy, the new captain. He pointed to his triple-century in the first Test of that tour, and said: "Nobody questioned my commitment then."

After the World Cup, he said, the board was looking for people to blame for the poor performance of the team and "picked on me and the other senior players". This time it was not the captaincy that was the issue but the senior players - "Gibson said we lacked the hunger and the desire to succeed."

Gayle said he played with an injury during the World Cup and returned to Jamaica to get in shape for the home series against Pakistan. A camp was set up but nobody contacted him, and he was again ignored when the squad was picked for the first two ODIs. That, he says, is when he got an offer to play in the IPL - for Royal Challengers Bangalore - and went when the WICB made it publicly clear that Ramnaresh Sarwan, Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Gayle were not considered for selection. "I did not turn my back on the West Indies because the West Indies had already turned its back on me. I was not in the squad and it was clear that there was no intention to pick me."

From there on things went swiftly - and dramatically. Gayle said the controversial June 15 meeting with WICB officials, at which WIPA president Dinanath Ramnarine was also present, was called to discuss his future but had a motive other than his reinstatement in the side.

On June 22, he said, he wrote to Hilaire in response to an email received the previous day in which Hilaire said he wanted to resolve the issue but sought to know what Gayle wanted him to do. Gayle said he had not received any guidance, other than what has appeared in the media, on what he needed to do to be included in the West Indies team.

He received a reply two days later in which Hilaire said that the issue was about a "history of misunderstanding, miscommunication and mishandling of issues, on both sides". He said Gayle would have to meet with the team management and after that with the selectors and after that with the cricket operations department and only then would Hilaire meet him before reporting to the board. That, Hilaire said, would not be until August.

Gayle also referred to the WICB's claim that Ramnarine had threatened Hilaire with a chair at the June 15 meeting, saying nothing of the sort happened. He admitted tempers flared during the meeting but disagreed with accusations that Ramnarine had not represented Gayle's best interest in the meeting.

[daryn]

You have no Idea why you were sacked as Captain?
Check the records.

Undoubtedly the board do stupidness, because they didn't really need to go through all that to tell you take a break. (and they do you wrong with the IPL business, for sure), but my ability to relate is tempered by the dismal state of the team.  This means that any captain would receive my undying indifference, but injustice?

Why you don't pen a letter to the fans apologizing for the absolute dreck we've had to endure these long years?

The problem with WI cricket is obviously infrastructural. The teams have been sub-standard for some time and a lot of players and a quite a few different captains have had opportunities. So I don't really get why you think the appropriate entity to be apologizing to the fans should be a player.

Anyhow, hopefully these fellas could chase 281 today.

[weary1969]

Gibson: Gayle must decide
Published: Sun, 2011-07-03 23:14
 
Chris Gayle BRIDGETOWN, Barbados–West Indies coach Ottis Gibson believes estranged opener Chris Gayle has to decide his own future with the regional side, and says he will press ahead with his goal of building a successful, united side. Speaking on Friday in response to criticism from Gayle, Gibson said the Jamaican left-hander still had a role to play but it did not appear as if the was interested in doing so, based on his public utterances. Gayle released a statement on Friday lamenting his continued exclusion from the West Indies squad, and also criticized Gibson and several West Indies Cricket Board directors.
“It’s a board matter now. The board is dealing with it. Chris knows this. I have said all I can about it. Chris knows my stance, so if he chooses to come out and make statements, then that’s up to him,” Gibson told reporters.“The board knows my feelings on the whole thing, and we are trying to build a team, a team that is competitive and start to win, we have not been doing that for a while, and everybody has a part to play in this, and Chris Gayle has a part to play in it, if he chooses.

“It seems from a lot of the stuff from what he is saying, he doesn’t feel he can be a part of it. He knows what the score is and he is choosing his own path completely. And that’s up to him completely.” Gayle has been overlooked for selection since returning from the Indian Premier League, this despite meeting with the WICB to thrash out controversial issues last month. In blasting the WICB, the former captain also accused Gibson of “deliberately try to destroy my character, reputation and livelihood”, and attempting to devalue his leadership. Gibson, who has led the regional side for a year-and-a-half, said he would not be distracted from his objectives of molding a winning unit.

“I do not think much about what is being said. My focus is with the team, and trying to get the team into shape, and as you can see, though we are not batting very well, there has been a lot of improvement in the team, so that is my focus, and whatever Chris or anyone else wants to say outside of the team bubble that is completely up to them,” the former West Indies fast bowler said. “It’s been going on for a while. I am trying my best not to get distracted by it all because at the end of the day, I have 13 other players here, and there are broader issues with which I have to deal in West Indies cricket. “I believe there are signs of improvement within the squad. I think we are fielding well. We are bowling teams out twice now, which was not a feature of our cricket for a long time, and we just need our batsmen to bat to their potential and support the bowlers.” CMC

.

[weary1969]

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (CMC):

Estranged West Indies opener Chris Gayle will meet with West Indies Cricket Board chief executive Ernest Hilaire next Tuesday to hash out lingering issues that have kept the Jamaican out of the regional side.

An official source confirmed to CMC Sports that the high-profile left-hander would sit down with the regional governing body's top official, in a crucial meeting scheduled for Antigua.

Gayle was overlooked for the recent one-day and Test series against India after failing to settle differences with WICB management, arising from controversial comments he made in a highly charged interview with a Jamaican radio station earlier this year.

Then, Gayle accused the board of failing to supervise his rehabilitation from injury and was also heavily critical of Hilaire, head coach Ottis Gibson and captain Darren Sammy.

On his return from the Indian Premier League in June, Gayle was asked to explain his comments in a meeting in Kingston, Jamaica, attended by the WICB's director of cricket Tony Howard, team manager Richie Richardson, along with Gibson and Hilaire.

Gayle was accompanied by head of regional players' union WIPA, Dinanath Ramnarine, and vice-president Wavell Hinds.

The meeting was highly contentious and the WICB said subsequently it had ended in "uncertainty".

Gayle subsequently appealed for CARICOM's intervention in the dispute, with the regional body indicating they would reactivate the prime ministerial subcommittee on cricket to deal with the issue.