Gabriel’s slur should not define cricket in Caribbean
Fast bowler deserves a ban for his gay jibe but sledging is not endemic in West Indies, writes Simon Briggs
‘Yes, he is hot-headed, but also a quiet, gentle giant off the field, a humble guy’
The man at the centre of this week’s sledging storm, West Indian fast bowler Shannon Gabriel, was also one of the last people at the Darren Sammy National Cricket Stadium to realise how much trouble he was in.
For a start, Gabriel was not aware that Sky Sports – via the medium of an involuntary sound bite from Joe Root – had outed him for homophobia. Then, at the end of the match, the on-field umpires had declared the affair closed after an apology and a handshake.
Unfortunately for Gabriel, the video – which captured Root’s response rather than his provocation – was still creating shock waves on social media. “Don’t use it as an insult,” said a calm and self-assured Root, in his most statesmanlike moment as England captain. “There’s nothing wrong with being gay.”
So it was that the International Cricket Council stepped in and banned Gabriel for four one-day internationals. Despite cricket’s long tradition of confrontational chat, anything involving race or sexual orientation is now off-limits, and rightly so.
It was interesting, though, to note the response that followed. England coach Trevor Bayliss suggested that stump microphones should be switched off between balls. Mike Atherton, described the passages of play between Gabriel and Root as fiercely competitive “with, for the most part, good-natured overtones”.
We can probably deduce that most people in St Lucia, including the England team, feel a bit sorry for Gabriel. They believed his version of events (that he had responded to a prolonged stare from Root by asking “Do you like boys?”), they accepted his unreserved apology, and they were photographed sharing a friendly beer in the dressing room. Above all, there is no suggestion that the West Indies were embarked on a concerted sledging campaign.
Sledging is a cultural issue – as, indeed, is homophobia. The second is prevalent in the West Indies; the first is not. Old-school enforcers such as Colin Croft might have muttered the odd put-down but Curtly Ambrose was more typical in his preference for a silent, terrifying stare.
Contrast that to the Australians. Gabriel’s isolated remark seemed tame by comparison with the verbal acid flung in England’s faces throughout the 2017-18 Ashes.
The worst-case scenario for Gabriel would have been a two-test ban, as that could have left him without employment until October. Unlike England’s millionaires, his annual contract is worth perhaps $80,000 (£62,200) per annum, plus appearance fees. And his earnings support a whole community, including two children of his own and a sister whose American education he funds.
This is the reality for so many West Indian cricketers, even if most are too proud to reveal the financial pinch-points that send them chasing global T20 dollars.
“Shannon is a country boy from the south of Trinidad,” said Johnny Grave, the Englishman who now runs the West Indies Cricket Board. “He got in trouble as a young man, then the police intervened, and told him that he should come and join the boys’ club. He is a hot-headed fast bowler, but also a quiet, gentle giant off the field, a humble guy. People shouldn’t be too quick to judge.”
Grave has a point. Despite the neat nickname – “The Archangel” – bestowed by the BBC’S Jonathan Agnew, Gabriel turned out to have feet of clay. Yes, he deserved his punishment. But he should not be defined solely by one sin.