LONDON, June 27: Captain Chris Gayle said on Wednesday he was big enough to stand up to the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) in his row with the ruling body. The WICB have threatened ‘drastic action’ if there is fresh criticism from Gayle after his swipe last week over their handling of his promotion to captaincy and the late arrival of three key players for the one-day series.

Gayle, who is preparing for Thursday's Twenty20 game against England, told a news conference: “I've been in tougher situations than this before and have dug myself out of them.

“I'm just looking forward to contributing to the team. “There's no love lost between myself and the board...but it's a situation that's happening and you have to move on in life.

“I'm a big man. I'm always up for the challenge. Whatever the situation...I'll deal with it.”

As for standing up to the board after their tour finishes, Gayle said: “That's me. I always stand up.”

Despite the row, the left-handed opener said he had the full backing of the players, who are preparing for two Twenty20 games and three one-day matches against England.

“All the guys were fully supportive...I didn't get any negative reaction from anyone at all,” he said.

“I get along well with everyone on the team and everyone really respects me and I respect them. It makes it a lot easier for me to go out there and try and do the duties.

“This is crunch time. This has really been a challenge to deal with...and the quicker you can deal with it the better.”

After a 3-0 Test series defeat by England, Gayle sees the next five games as a chance to make amends against an opponent with an unimpressive one-day record.

“They've got a lot of pride to gain out there,” he said of his side.—Reuters