Gayle left out of training squad to face Australia

Chris Gayle's prospects of representing West Indies again look grimmer than ever after he was left out of the WICB's 30-man squad for a fitness and training camp ahead of the home series against Australia.

While the squad featured a host of other players not contracted directly to the WICB - Tino Best, Dwayne Bravo, Kieron Pollard and Denesh Ramdin among them - 32-year-old Gayle was conspicuous by his absence, following earlier calls by the board's chief-executive Ernest Hilaire for the former captain to make his priorities clear.

Gayle has not played for West Indies since last year's World Cup, in large part due to comments he made against the board and the coach Ottis Gibson during a radio interview.

The WICB asked Gayle to retract his comments and the batsman has refused to do so.

"The Board requires you to provide a general public retraction of the comments made in the interview in question and the effect it has had on the team, coach, captain and management, and to express a commitment to team and management," Hilarie told Gayle in an email in January.

"If the terms of that retraction can be agreed, WICB will be happy to consider you eligible once again for selection."

In the meantime, Gayle has taken part in various Twenty20 competitions around the world, including the IPL, the Big Bash League in Australia and the BPL in Bangladesh.

He is currently in South Africa as part of the Dolphins' T20 squad in Durban, but is yet to make his debut due to a groin injury.

The other notable absentee from the training squad was Ravi Rampaul, who could not be considered for the camp due to illness.

Rampaul had earlier this month been ruled out of regional matches for Trinidad and Tobago due to a shoulder problem.