Shut up and support the team! Chris Gayle says he has lost all respect for ‘negative’ West Indies legend Curtly Ambrose as war of words between the pair escalates ahead of T20 World Cup title defence
- Curtly Ambrose claimed recently that Chris Gayle, 42, was no longer an automatic pick for the West indies twenty-over side
- Gayle did struggle in the Indian Premier League and pulled out to concentrate on recovering his form in the upcoming World Cup in the UAE
- But the ‘Universe Boss’ has 22 hundreds in the T20 format and 87 fifties overall
- Gayle has told Ambrose to stop being no negative and get behind the team
- West Indies are preparing their title won by beating England back in 2016
Chris Gayle has returned fire in a war of words with Curtly Ambrose by claiming he’s lost all respect for the West Indies great.
Ambrose recently said that the 42-year-old Gayle was no longer an automatic choice for a Windies team attempting to win a third title in four attempts at the Twenty20 World Cup, which starts in the UAE this weekend.
But speaking to The Island Tea Morning Show, a radio station in St Kitts, Gayle blasted: ‘When I just joined the team, I looked up to this man. But I am now speaking from my heart. Since he retired, I don’t know what he had against Chris Gayle.
Chris Gayle (pictured) has escalated his war of words with Curtly Ambrose as the West Indies prepare to defend their T20 World Cup title in the UAE
Former West Indies bowler Curtly Ambrose said Gayle was no longer an automatic pick
‘Those negative things he has been saying, I don’t know if he is looking for attention, but he is getting the attention. So I am just giving back the attention which he requires and which he needs.
‘I can tell you personally, and you can let him know that Chris Gayle, the Universe Boss, have no respect for Curtly Ambrose whatsoever.
‘I am finished with Curtly Ambrose. I have no respect, any time I see him I will tell him as well: “Stop being negative, support the team ahead of the World Cup.”
‘This team has been selected and we need past players to support us. We need that, we don’t need negative energy. In other teams, their past players support their teams, why can’t our own support us in a big tournament like this?
Gayle poses with a cheque after winning the Hit of the Tournament prize at the Caribbean Premier League final last month
The 42-year-old smashes a six during the Windies T20 series with Australia back in July
‘I am not going to take anything from any senior player. Curtly Ambrose pull your socks up, alright? Support for West Indies, ok? Support West Indies, that is the thing.’
Gayle pulled out of the Indian Premier League recently to focus on the World Cup, after failing to score a single 50 in 10 innings across September.
However, despite his dip in personal form that period coincided with his St Kitts & Nevis Patriots team winning the Caribbean Premier League.
Statistically, he has dominated T20 batting, scoring in excess of 3,000 runs more than nearest rival Kieron Pollard and hitting 22 hundreds. The next best collection of centuries is eight.
But Ambrose told a Barbados radio station: ‘For me, Gayle is definitely not an automatic choice for starting. When you look at his exploits over the last 18 months, he has struggled not only for the West Indies, but other T20 franchises. The few home series we played, he hasn’t had any scores of significance.’
Gayle is bowled while playing for Saint Kitts & Nevis Patriots in the CPL recently