Former captain Chris Gayle's decision to give the entire home series against Pakistan a miss for the lucrative IPL has angered the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB), which described the opener's move as "unacceptable and disappointing".
In a statement, the WICB on Wednesday confirmed that it had granted No Objection Certificate (NOC) to Gayle to play for Royal Challengers Bangalore in the IPL after "he had officially notified the board of his decision not to make himself available for selection for the Pakistan leg of the Digicel Series."
"Gayle informed the WICB that he had received an offer to participate in the IPL and applied to the WICB for a No Objection Certificate to cover the entire duration of the IPL which clashes with the Pakistan leg of the Digicel Series," the statement read.
"The WICB does not accept Gayle's reason for making himself unavailable but as he has already clearly made his choice and has travelled to India, the WICB does not wish to stand in his way.
"The WICB is most disappointed in the manner in which Gayle has handled the entire situation, especially given the mature and cooperative manner in which two other players who refused contracts - Dwayne Bravo and Kieron Pollard - made themselves available for selection and agreed to an understanding in the best interest of West Indies cricket," it added.
Gayle, who remained unsold in the IPL IV auctions earlier this year after attracting a base price of USD 4,00,000, was on Tuesday roped in by Bangalore as a replacement for injured Australian left-arm pacer Dirk Nannes.
The WICB said that it was taken by surprise by Gayle's decision as it was under the impression that the opener, who was rehabilitating an abdominal strain he suffered during the World Cup, was preparing for the Pakistan series under the supervision of a medical team in Jamaica.
"At the conclusion of the Cricket World Cup, Gayle underwent a medical examination in the UK. Following Gayle's consultation with a UK doctor it was determined that he would require at least 2 to 3 weeks of rest before returning to training.
"The WICB was surprised to learn that Gayle had been making arrangements to play cricket in India when the WICB was under the clear impression that he was recovering from injury and was undergoing rehabilitation work and about to resume training," the statement said.
The West Indies board also made it clear that because of the injury Gayle was not considered for the first two ODIs against Pakistan.
"After the resumption of training the WICB team management would have organised a fitness test to assess Gayle's fitness and decisions would have then been taken about his selection to the West Indies team to face Pakistan.
"The squads for the third, fourth and fifth Digicel ODIs and the Digicel Tests have not yet been selected. It is therefore not accurate, as has been insinuated in some quarters, that Gayle was not selected for the entire Pakistan leg of the Digicel Series," the WICB stressed.
Gayle had played for Kolkata Knight Riders in the first three editions of the IPL.
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