West Indies speedster Shannon Gabriel has apologised to England skipper Joe Root for their on-pitch row during the St. Lucia Test but is adamant he did not pass homophobic comments in an incident that has cost him a four-match ban.
Gabriel and Root were involved in a heated exchange during the third day of the final Test, with the former being warned by the on-field umpires over the use of abusive language. While it was not clear what Gabriel said but stump mic had caught Root saying: "There is nothing wrong with being gay."
On Thursday (February 14), Gabriel decided to state his side of the story through a statement which read: "I think I owe it to them (friends and well-wishers) and to all supporters of West Indies cricket to provide an accurate record of what happened."
"The exchange occurred during a tense moment on the field. The pressure was on and England's captain Joe Root was looking at me intensely as I prepared to bowl, which may have been the usual psychological strategy with which all Test cricketers are familiar.
"I recognize now that I was attempting to break through my own tension when I said to Joe Root: 'Why are you smiling at me? Do you like boys?'
"His response, which was picked up by the microphone, was: 'Don't use it as an insult. There's nothing wrong with being gay.' I then responded: 'I have no issues with that, but you should stop smiling at me.'"
Gabriel concluded by stating: “Joe Root and I have since spoken and I am comforted by the fact that there are no hard feelings between us. I think it is fair to say that neither of us ever expected the issue to escalate to this point that it has. Nonetheless, I embrace this as a learning experience and as an opportunity for myself and all athletes to recognize the need for sensitivity and respect in their interactions with all.”
Gabriel was charged with a Level 2 offence under article 2.13 of the ICC's Code of Conduct. Article 2.13 relates to use of "language of a personal, insulting, obscene and/or offensive nature" to the player, support personnel, umpire or match referee during an international match with a range of charges covering different levels of seriousness.
There was no formal hearing with match referee Jeff Crowe as Gabriel decided not to challenge the charge and was banned for four one-day internationals and fined 75 percent of his match fee.
