Gayle not a referrals man

Chris Gayle, the West Indies captain, has not given his stamp of approval to the new umpire referrals system as he feels it is the standing umpires' job to make the decisions.

Out of the six referrals in the first Test between New Zealand and West Indies in Dunedin, West Indies challenged the umpire's decision five times. Gayle was a beneficiary once, in the wicket of Daniel Flynn - the first to be given out in such a manner in the series.

"To be honest, I'm not really a big fan of it," Gayle said. "Obviously, it helps the umpire and I'm sure they will agree to continue with it. But it is only my opinion and no one might listen to my opinion.

"You have two standing umpires out there whose job is to actually get the job done. Sometimes the decision will be in your favour, sometimes it won't. That's what has been happening over the years."

Gayle said the opinion within the team regarding referrals was divided. "Some of them are a bit 50-50 as well. Everyone has their own opinion."

Gayle's New Zealand counterpart, Daniel Vettori has expressed similar reservations, arguing that the referrals system could dilute the powers of the on-field officials if it was used constantly for marginal calls.