Sarwan dismisses Gayle's allegations; calls outburst "unfortunate"

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Sarwan spoke about his association with the franchise and also disclosed how Gayle was keen to have one of his close friends to be appointed as the head coach in 2019. © AFP

Ramnaresh Sarwan, former West Indies cricketer, and the head coach of Jamaica Tallawahs, dismissed the allegations against him levied by Chris Gayle, and called his outburst as "unfortunate" in a Facebook post on Thursday (April 30).

"Christopher Gayle's outburst disseminated via a YouTube video a few days ago is quite unfortunate. I categorically deny any involvement in the decision or the decision-making process, which led to Gayle's non-selection to represent the Jamaica Tallawahs in the 2020 Caribbean Premier League (CPL) Tournament," Sarwan said.

Chris Gayle had launched a personal attack on Sarwan for his ouster from the Tallawahs but the 39-year-old responded, stating that the claims made by Gayle were "false" and that it was merely aimed at tarnishing the reputation of some people.

"In that video, he has leveled false allegations and tarnished the good name and reputation of a series of persons. I was the focus of most of the onslaughts. I reply, not because I feel that Gayle's rantings are worthy of it, but because I feel that the public's record must be set straight and also, to protect the character and careers of so many people, whose image he sought to besmirch." Sarwan said.

Ramnaresh Sarwan, who played for West Indies between 2000-2011, termed Gayle as an "extraordinary talent", who he respected and even recalled an incident where he rallied around Gayle when calls were made by Ian Chappel to ban him from international cricket for his remarks against a female journalist in Australia.

"Let me make it abundantly clear, I have played with Gayle from the inception of my international career and I have always respected him as an extraordinary talent, a colleague and most importantly, a close friend. Hence, my utter shock by these scandalous allegations. He was welcomed in and is loved by my immediate family and has hurt them terribly.

"Fans will recall, that when Ian Chappell called for Gayle to be banned from international cricket because of remarks he made to a female journalist, I issued a public call for fans to rally around Gayle. I stood up for him on every such occasion. But this missive is not about that," Sarwan added.

In his video, Gayle also blamed Sarwan for playing a part in him being sent home from a tour in Barbados 24 years ago but Sarwan rubbished the accusations as "total fabrication".

"Gayle refers to an incident as far back as 24 years ago, he claimed that I caused him to be sent home from Barbados during a tour because he was watching television all night in the room, which I shared with him. This is a total fabrication, no competent management would remove him from a series, a player of Chris's caliber on such a trivial allegation."

Sarwan spoke about his association with the franchise and also disclosed how Gayle was keen to have one of his close friends to be appointed as the head coach in 2019.

"I have been officially attached to the Jamaica Tallawahs since 2018. I was first offered to play for the side. I refused because I felt that young and upcoming Jamaican and regional talents as well as overseas players, ought to be given that opportunity. I was then offered the position of head coach but deferred to Mark O'Donnell, who was with the team several years prior. Instead, I accepted the position of assistant coach.

"In 2019, I was appointed head coach. I reached out to Chris and discussed with him, the selection of a team. I did so out of respect for him. In my conversation with Gayle about the team, he informed me that Donovan Miller, a Jamaican and a very close friend of Chris, should be appointed head coach as he would better understand the culture of the Jamaican players. I conveyed Gayle's view to the CEO, informing the CEO that I would be happy to step aside for Miller's appointment, given that Chris feels strongly about his appointment. My priority was what would be in the best interest of the team. Gayle is fully aware of the background, yet he accuses me of fighting to be the head coach."

Sarwan defended his move of imposing curfew on the players, labeling it as "Standard Operational Procedures", however, he rejected Gayle's accusation about how he spurred the foreign players to disrespect the Universe Boss.

"I accept full responsibility for my recommendation, that the team management considers imposing a curfew on players prior to matches, I stand by that decision. Such restrictions are standard operational procedures in almost every international sport so that when it is time for performance on the field, the players are physically and mentally prepared for the challenges.

In any event, the curfew was never implemented, so I do not understand why Gayle has made this an issue. I absolutely reject Gayle's allegation that I encouraged foreign players to disrespect him, I really do not understand how he came to such a conclusion and this simply is not true."

Sarwan concluded by expressing his displeasure at how things have unfolded and wished Gayle for his next stint in the CPL.

"I express my deep regret on this unfortunate saga and I hope that it will lower neither Gayle's nor I, in their estimation. I thank all those who have conveyed their support to me and rallied around me during this unfortunate turn of events, I take this opportunity to wish Chris all the best with his new team in the upcoming CPL."