Shannon Gabriel has said there are no hard feelings towards Joe Root following their verbal exchange in the Caribbean last year but he has warned England’s batsmen to expect another barrage of hostile fast bowling during the Test series against West Indies next month.
The Trinidadian quick was banned for four one-day internationals that followed the 2-1 Test series home victory after the stump microphones picked up Root telling him “There’s nothing wrong with being gay” on day three of England’s consolation win in St Lucia.
Though the comment that elicited this rebuke was not part of the audio that first circulated online, Gabriel was charged by the on-field umpires, Kumar Dharmasena and Rod Tucker, and upon accepting the punishment issued a statement that admitted to asking the England captain: “Why are you smiling? Do you like boys?”
Gabriel, a reserve player on the current tour but who is likely to be added to the main West Indies squad if he can prove his fitness after ankle surgery, is keen to move on. While he gave an “unreserved apology” at the time, however, there remains a degree of dissatisfaction over the way events unfolded.
Speaking from his side’s training camp at Old Trafford on Thursday, Gabriel said: “I don’t think about it too much, whatever happened or what was said. I’m just looking forward to the future now, to come out and play good cricket in the series, if selected.
“I just think the way they dealt with it, it was blown way out of proportion. The story that was told was not entirely true. But I just want to move on, forget about the past.”
Asked if there was any ongoing problem with Root, Gabriel replied: “No hard feelings. I have come here to play cricket and whether it’s Joe Root or Ben Stokes or whoever, I’ll try, to the best of my ability, to get them out. It’s not like I’m targeting one player.”
The incident might never have come to light had it not been heard by a member of the TV audience at home, and players in next month’s three-Test series will need to be mindful that, with no crowd, on-field spats could be more audible than ever.
Gabriel believes if sledging “stays within the rules and is not disrespectful” then not much will have to change; nor, he said, should his side’s tactics after kickstarting last year’s series win with a fiery burst in Barbados that vapourised England for 77 all out.
He added: “I don’t think the plans should shift too much from what we did in the Caribbean. What we did was successful. You don’t fix something that isn’t broken.”
