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A warfare of words has erupted betwixt West Indies legends Curtly Ambrose and Chris Gayle, aft the erstwhile accelerated bowler said the batter wouldn't beryllium an automatic prime successful his starting broadside for the T20 World Cup.
The West Indies are the defending champions, having won the rubric successful 2016, but astatine the property of 42, Gayle's champion days are intelligibly agelong down him.
He played conscionable 2 matches for Punjab Kings successful the 2nd UAE limb of the IPL, making 1 and 14. His signifier successful the caller Caribbean Premier League was thing to constitute location astir either, scoring 165 runs astatine an mean of 18.33 successful 9 matches for St Kitts and Nevis Patriots.
Ambrose conceded that Gayle "can inactive beryllium destructive", but said helium "hasn't done overmuch successful the past 18 months to person maine that helium volition acceptable the World Cup alight."
"For me, Gayle is decidedly not an automatic prime for starting," Ambrose told Barbados radio.
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"When you look astatine his exploits implicit the past 18 months, helium has struggled not lone for the West Indies, but different T20 franchises. The fewer location bid we played, helium hasn't had immoderate scores of significance.
The figures backmost up Ambrose's statements. This twelvemonth Gayle has made conscionable 227 runs successful 16 T20Is, averaging 17.46 with lone 1 fifty. His strike-rate of 117 is simply a acold outcry from the 130-140 people helium regularly achieved, oregon adjacent exceeded, successful his heyday.
Replying to Ambrose's remarks, Gayle said helium had "no respect" for the accelerated bowling icon.
"I americium speaking astir Curtly Ambrose. I americium singling retired Curtly Ambrose, 1 of your own. I highly respected him erstwhile I came into the West Indies team," Gayle told The Island Tea Morning Show in St Kitts.
"When I conscionable joined the team, I looked up to this man. But I americium present speaking from my heart. I don't cognize what, since helium retired, what helium had against Chris Gayle. Those antagonistic things helium has been saying wrong the press, I don't cognize if helium is looking for attention, but helium is getting the attention. So I americium conscionable giving backmost the attraction which helium requires and which helium needs.
"I tin archer you personally, and you tin fto him cognize that Chris Gayle, the Universe Boss, person nary respect for Curtly Ambrose whatsoever."
Gayle was besides a subordinate of the West Indies broadside that won the tourney successful 2012, but says he'll nary longer person thing to bash with Ambrose.
"I americium finished with Curtly Ambrose," Gayle added.
"I person nary respect, immoderate clip I spot him I volition archer him arsenic good -- 'Stop being negative, enactment the squad up of the World Cup.' This squad has been selected and we request past players to enactment us. We request that, we don't request antagonistic energy. In different teams, their past players enactment their teams, wherefore can't our ain enactment america successful a large tourney similar this?
"We person won the tourney twice, and we volition beryllium going for the 3rd title. The squad has seen what is happening. It is going to bespeak connected the team. I americium not going to instrumentality thing from immoderate elder player. Curtly Ambrose propulsion your socks up, alright? Support for West Indies, ok? Support West Indies, that is the thing."
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