Gayle future in doubt as talks falter

WORLD Cup captain Chris Gayle's future with West Indies cricket is in doubt after a clear-the-air meeting with the team's top officials failed to defuse their dispute.

The West Indies Cricket Board hierarchy, including coach Ottis Gibson, met with Gayle and player union leaders on Tuesday in Kingston to discuss his criticisms of them and to explain why he hasn't been picked for the series against Pakistan and India.

The WICB said in a statement yesterday that the four-hour meeting "ended in uncertainty".

The board was to receive a report of the meeting yesterday and decide Gayle's future with the team.

Tension between Gayle and the board came to a head after the World Cup, where he led the team to the quarter-finals in April. Gibson criticised Gayle and senior players for their effort. While recuperating from an abdominal strain, Gayle agreed to play in the Indian Premier League as an injury replacement. During the tournament, Gayle railed against the WICB on Jamaican radio station KLAS, saying the board had threatened his place in the World Cup before the tournament, and treated other players poorly. He also criticised Gibson and replacement captain Darren Sammy.