Gayle notified his franchise that he would not be joining them for the upcoming campaign ahead of the CPL draft, instead wishing to spend more time with his family
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Darren Sammy has admitted St Lucia Zouks will find it tough to replace Chris Gayle after the batsman pulled out of the Caribbean Premier League for personal reasons.
Gayle notified his franchise that he would not be joining them for the upcoming campaign ahead of the CPL draft, instead wishing to spend more time with his family.
The 40-year-old had only recently moved to St Lucia as a marquee player following an acrimonious departure from Jamaica Tallawahs.
"It’s always going to be difficult to replace a player of Chris Gayle’s calibre, especially the Zouks team, which was so excited to have Chris, who would have brought his experience and match-winning abilities," Sammy told The Gleaner.
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"The show still has to go on and, hopefully, we can find someone who can come in and have an impact for us," said Sammy.
The CPL is due to take place in August and September, and may well be staged in its entirety on Trinidad and Tobago.
"I support and respect his decision, especially as athletes; we hardly get time to spend with our families. It is even more important in this Covid situation where Chris has not seen his family for a while," Sammy said.
"I would definitely give him my blessings and support and, hopefully, he gets the quality time with his family that I have been getting with my family here in St Lucia."
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