November 16, 2024
Chris Gayle: West Indies opener reverses ODI retirement decision
West Indies batsman Chris Gayle says he has reversed his one-day international retirement – and may even play a Test for the first time in five years.
Chris Gayle has scored 194 in six matches for West Indies in this year’s World Cup
The opener, 39, said in February he would retire from one-day international cricket after the World Cup.
He has scored 10,345 ODI runs – second only to Brian Lara for West Indies – and 25 centuries.
However, on Wednesday he said: “I’ll definitely play the ODIs against India [in August]. I won’t play the T20s.”
He added: “My plans are for the World Cup. Maybe a Test match against India.”
Gayle has not played a Test since September 2014, and missed two years of 50-over cricket before returning to the international side in 2017.
His 215 against Zimbabwe in 2015 is the fourth-highest one-day international score, and he is one of only six men to have scored an ODI double hundred.
He has scored 194 runs in West Indies’ six World Cup matches, with a top score of 87 against New Zealand.
When announcing his retirement in February, Gayle said was looking to “let the youngsters have some fun and I can sit back in the party stand”.
When asked how he saw himself compared to West Indies batting greats, he said: “I’m definitely up there with the greats, without a doubt.
“Like I said, it’s still not the end. I still have a few games to go. Maybe another series to go – who knows? We’ll see what happens.”
ODI captain Jason Holder said he did not know of Gayle’s plans until after his news conference.
“If he’s dedicated to playing for West Indies any longer then I feel it’s definitely going to benefit us having him around,” he added.
West Indies play unbeaten India in their next World Cup match at Old Trafford on Thursday.
Holder’s side are eighth in the table with one win and four losses, and are all but out of contention for a semi-final place. – bbc.com
