Windies rage as Gayle chooses IPL over country

West Indies opener Chris Gayle has chosen the lucrative Indian Premier League (IPL) over his country, officials said on Wednesday, prompting a damning reaction from his cricket board back home.
The attacking batsman will turn out for Royal Challengers Bangalore, owned by Indian billionaire Vijay Mallya, as a replacement for the injured Dirk Nannes.
Gayle, 31, had been under a treatment programme run by the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) after a strain suffered during the World Cup, but he signed up for the Bangalore outfit on Tuesday for the remainder of the IPL event.
The former West Indies captain had earlier refused a West Indies' central contract but was still in contention for later games during Pakistan's tour of the Caribbean, which starts on Thursday.
He was not bought at the IPL player auction in January because franchises feared he would be unavailable because the IPL clashed with Pakistan's visit.
"It's official now. The explosive Chris Gayle is now a part of the RCB squad," Mallya wrote on his Twitter page.
Pakistan will play one Twenty20, five ODIs and two Tests against West Indies during their tour.
The WICB said it had reluctantly cleared Gayle to play in the IPL.
"The WICB does not accept Gayle's reason for making himself unavailable but as he has already clearly made his choice and has travelled to India, the WICB does not wish to stand in his way," it said in a press release.
Gayle played for the Kolkata Knight Riders in the first three editions of the IPL.
"The WICB is most disappointed in the manner in which Gayle has handled the entire situation, especially given the mature and cooperative manner in which two other players who refused contracts - Dwayne Bravo and Kieron Pollard - made themselves available for selection and agreed to an understanding in the best interest of West Indies cricket."
The statement added: "The WICB was surprised to learn that Gayle had been making arrangements to play cricket in India, when the WICB was under the clear impression that he was recovering from injury and was undergoing rehabilitation work and about to resume training.”
"It is therefore not accurate, as has been insinuated in some quarters, that Gayle was not selected for the entire Pakistan series."
Both Pollard and Bravo are currently playing in the IPL and along with Gayle and fellow veterans Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Ramnaresh Sarwan were not considered for the Thursday's Twenty20 International against Pakistan or the first two ODIs on Saturday and Monday.