Chris Gayle is back in West Indies, will play against England

After about 14 months, West Indies is bringing back Chris Gayle, the 32-year-old former captain, to play international cricket for the one-day series against England.

Gayle, the fourth highest-scoring West Indies batsman in ODI cricket with 8,087 runs at an average of 39.06 from 228 matches, entered contract disputes with West Indies Cricket Board in 2009 and was shown the way out of the squad for a series with Pakistan soon after the 2011 World Cup defeat.

While absent from the West Indies team, Gayle has played in Twenty20 tournaments across the world, and was the leading scorer in this year’s Indian Premier League with 733 runs, including a fine 128 from 62 balls.

“Chris is a player of proven quality and we are looking forward to him adding this dimension to the side and his contributions as a senior member of the squad”, said Clyde Butts, chairman of the selection panel.

Butts continued, “A number of players who have been exposed to international cricket and who, by their recent performances, have shown that they can play roles in the team have been retained.”

The three-match series against England begins at Hampshire on 16 June. This match will also see Dwayne Bravo returned as vice-captain and all-rounder Kieron Pollard and spinner Sunil Narine included in the 15-man squad.

West Indies has already lost the first two Tests – and the series – against England, with the final match at Edgbaston starting on Thursday. But, with Chris Gayle returning, England can expect a competition in the one-day series.

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