Gayle meets board chief but future remains unclear

Chris Gayle, the West Indies batsman, and WICB chief Ernest Hilaire have held a one-on-one meeting in an attempt to resolve issues that are keeping the opener out of international cricket. Though there was no major breakthrough in the hour-long discussion at the WICB head office in Antigua on Tuesday, it was still a step forward from the acrimonious meeting in June that worsened relations between the two sides.

Hilaire, the board CEO, was cautious when asked about how the meeting went. "We took a decision yesterday not to discuss the matter that is currently in front of us while it is still unresolved," Hilaire told Trinidad Express. "What I can tell you is that we had a frank and excellent discussion."

Relations between Gayle and the board reached breaking point after he gave an interview in April to a radio station during which he was scathing about both the board and coach Ottis Gibson.

The Gayle-WICB standoff was sparked off when Gibson criticised senior batsmen following the team's quarter-final exit at the World Cup. Gayle was subsequently ignored for the home series against Pakistan, after which he travelled to India to participate in the IPL - where he was the player of the tournament - while the WICB were under the impression he was undergoing rehabilitation.

The heated meeting in June with West Indies Players' Association representatives present didn't resolve the problem, and Gayle released an emotional public statement in July explaining his stance. The CARICOM heads of government have also given a commitment to mediate in the dispute.