Chris Gayle has come out unequivocally in favour of T20 cricket matches over test matches. He even went so far as to say that he for one would not miss test cricket if it were to end. He clarified that he thought test cricket would always be around, but that he was not looking to be part of it for too long. Gayle enjoys T20 cricket and the way that it has impacted the game of international cricket, pointing out that with T20 cricket one had sold out tickets for live matches whereas for tests, it was difficult to get 50% occupancy.

There were some rumblings of discontent earlier when Windies skipper was required to leave the IPL half way through for national duty. He arrived in England for the currently ongoing test series just two days before the commencement of the first test, and was criticised by his English counterpart for his late arrival. It was in this context that he hit back at Andrew Strauss, indicating that perhaps it was Strauss who could not make the change over from tests to T20 and that he, Gayle would not mind if test cricket were no more.

Now the skipper has dropped one more bombshell saying he would like to quit the captaincy. He was quoted as having said in the cricket news that he doesn’t want to be captain. He added that he wanted more free time and doesn’t want the added pressure. He said captaincy is "definitely not something I'm looking to hang on to. I need some time for myself, to be honest with you; it's a lot of travelling."

The president of the West Indies Cricket Board, Julian Hunte, has responded to Chris Gayle’s statement that he wished to quit the captaincy saying his comments are unfortunate and that they would "have an effect on the whole spirit of the team". Coming as they did just two days before the commencement of the second test, Gayle’s comments seem to have taken everyone by surprise.

"I recall that there was speculation in some of the English media that Chris might resign after he returned from the Indian Premier League to join the team just before the Test but I took it as pure speculation," Hunte was reported as having said in West Indian cricket news publication. "There was certainly nothing on that score from the captain himself,” he said, indicating that the skipper’s words were unexpected.

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3.25 Copyright (C) 2007 Alain Georgette / Copyright (C) 2006 Frantisek Hliva. All rights reserved."

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