Chris Gayle stands by the explosive comments he made about ex-West Indies team-mate Ramnaresh Sarwan and has avoided punishment from the Caribbean Premier League.

Earlier this month, Sarwan described allegations made by Gayle in a controversial video as "scandalous".

The West Indies batsman described his former colleague Sarwan as "worse than the coronavirus" in an April rant on YouTube.

Gayle also branded him "a snake", "evil", "wicked", "poison", "vindictive", "immature", and "despicable".

The remarks came after Gayle – West Indies' leading run scorer in ODIs and Twenty20s – was released by CPL side Jamaica Tallawahs, for whom Sarwan is assistant coach.

In a statement, Gayle insisted he stands by his comments with regard to the way he claims to have been treated, but does regret any damage to the reputation of Cricket West Indies and the CPL.

CPL organisers had asked the 40-year-old batsman, now with St Lucia Zouks, to address the issue, and were satisfied with what he said. They now consider the matter to be closed.

"In so far as my resentment at the treatment, I stand by my comments in those videos," Gayle said.

"I made these videos with one single intention - to explain to the fans in Jamaica the reasons behind what has now become my second departure from the Tallawahs franchise.

"It was my greatest wish to finish my Caribbean Premier League career in Jamaica - playing in front of my home crowd at Sabina Park with the franchise that I had previously led to two CPL titles.

"Having said that, I must be honest and say that I now realise how portions of my comments may be viewed as being damaging to Cricket West Indies, and to the CPL Tournament and its brand.

"[It is] a tournament which I have sincerely enjoyed not just being a part of, but also helping to build and promote. It was never my intention to damage the T20 tournament.

"Playing in the CPL has guaranteed an opportunity for the past seven years to play in front of the great fans of the Caribbean. This is a privilege which I genuinely appreciate and have never taken for granted."

In his response to Gayle’s initial remarks, Sarwan was left stunned, saying he believes them to have caused "immeasurable damage to the gentleman's game of cricket".

He posted on Facebook: "Let me make it abundantly clear, I have played with Gayle from the inception of my international career and I have always respected him as an extraordinary talent, a colleague, and most importantly, a close friend.

"Hence my utter shock by these scandalous allegations - in that video, he has levelled false allegations and tarnished the reputations of a series of persons.

"I was the focus of most of the onslaughts. I reply, not because I feel that Gayle's rantings are worthy of it, but because I feel that the public's record must be set straight and also, to protect the character and careers of so many people, whose image he has sought to besmirch."