Sarwan had nothing to do with Gayle being released, clarify Jamaica Tallawahs

After West Indies Chris Gayle came out with explosive accusations against Ramnaresh Sarwan for his role in the former’s fallout with the Caribbean Premier League team Jamaica Tallawahs, the franchise has clarified that their assistant coach had nothing to do with them releasing Gayle.

Gayle had recently accused Sarwan, calling him a ‘snake’ and ‘worse than coronavirus’, in a three-part video uploaded on his YouTube channel, explaining what transpired between him and the Tallawahs. The 40-year-old said that Sarwan, who is also assistant coach to the Tallawahs, used his influence to ensure that Gayle, who rejoined the franchise last season, was not retained this time.

The Jamaica-based team has now released a statement, saying that Sarwan had no part in the decision to release Gayle from the team. He was not retained for the 2020 season of the CPL due to “business and cricketing reasons”, they added.

“Gayle gave several reasons for the decision that was made not retain him in the Tallawahs. However, the truth is that this decision was made collectively by the Ownership and Management team which did not include Ramnaresh Sarwan and based purely on business and cricketing reasoning. Further, the Ownership and Management of the Tallawahs have no political affiliation with any political organization in any country of the Caribbean”, the Jamaica Tallawahs said in a statement.

“The Tallawahs had a very disappointing season in CPL 2019 where the team finished last in the tournament. The Ownership and Management team has exercised its rights in the selection of players for CPL 2020 for the betterment of the team,” read the statement.

In the video, Gayle had accused the Tallawahs CEO Jeff Miller and Sarwan of using their influence to release him.

“Sarwan, you are a snake. You are not the most loved person right now in the Caribbean. You are so vindictive. You are still immature. You are still stabbing people in the back. When are you going to change? Seriously, when are you planning to change?” Gayle said, adding that the former West Indies captain was “worse than the coronavirus right now”.

“You are no good, you are despicable,” he said.

“We no friends, alright. You stay on your side, I stay on my side. We social distancing, not by six feet – we doing it couple miles (sic),” Gayle said.

Gayle, who played for the Tallawahs in the first four seasons of the CPL, signed a three-year contract with the franchise last year after his stint with St Kitts and Nevis Patriots. He will now play for St Lucia Zouks in the 2020 season. The CPL is scheduled to be played between August 19 and September 26, depending on the COVID-19 situation.