BRIDGETOWN, June 26: The rift between West Indies captain Chris Gayle and the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) widened on Tuesday after the player refused to apologise for comments made during their tour of England.

The left-handed opener, who was appointed captain for the West Indies One-day Internationals, criticised the board's handling of matters during the trip.

Gayle last week blasted the WICB for the way his elevation to captaincy was handled and the late arrival of three key players for the one-day series, which he said had hampered the team's preparation.

Earlier in the tour he had criticised a curfew imposed by the manager Mike Findlay, which required players to be in bed by 11:00pm.

Gayle was picked as captain but the board preferred Daren Ganga. Gayle was handed the job after selectors threatened to resign.

On Monday, the 27-year-old was summoned to a meeting with WICB president Ken Gordon and manager Findlay, where he was asked to issue a public apology.

The WICB said they had sent a strongly-worded letter to Gayle telling him his behaviour was ‘totally unacceptable’.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, the WICB said Gayle understood his statements were ill-advised and that they had caused embarrassment to the board.

“Mr Gayle was requested to issue a public apology to the WICB for his unfortunate and ill-advised statement”, the board statement read.

“He was allowed some time to consider the request. He subsequently advised the president and team manager that he was not prepared to apologise.”—Reuters