Chris Gayle, one of the most explosive T20 cricketers ever, has not found a place in any of the franchisees at the 2018 Pakistan Super League (PSL). A total of 501 cricketers — 308 overseas and 193 domestic — were included in the draft on Sunday, but the tall West Indies batsman found no takers.
Gayle, who is the only cricketer to score 10,000 runs in T20 cricket, was not picked up by the PSL franchises due to his poor form and partial availability, according to Wisden India. Gayle has not been the same force that he was, especially in the Indian Premier League (IPL), having endured a tough run in the tournament’s previous edition.
Apart from the fiery Caribbean batsman, former Pakistan captain Salman Butt and Mohammad Asif — who served bans following the 2010 spot-fixing scandal — were also not picked up.
Interestingly, Butt has been in a rich form in Pakistan’s domestic competitions and is vying for a place in the national side.
The chances of Butt’s return to international cricket were strengthened after Pakistan chief selector Inzamam-ul-Haq confirmed that they have considering bringing him back into the team.
As far as Gayle is concerned, he was not picked up with one franchise owner highlighting his poor form, and the fact that he will not be available for the whole tournament.
With the West Indies failing to earn a direct qualification for the ICC World Cup 2019, they will have to go through the qualification process. These matches will be played around the same time when PSL 2018 will be held.
An ower said, “We were told that Gayle is partially available so that was one of the reasons, but even if he was available we would not have picked him because he is no more the Gayle force he once was.”
Gayle has played in first two editions of the PSL and has been ordinary with the bat, scoring 103 in five outings in the first season and 160 runs in nine matches in the next.
However, Gayle scored 200 runs in nine matches for his IPL franchise Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). He was available ‘partially’ for the PSL event but the franchise owners were not interested.
