After missing out on farewell Test at home, Chris Gayle makes alternative plans

Despite the hammering they received in Antigua in the first Test against India, West Indies refused to accommodate the veteran Chris Gayle in the second Test match set to start in Jamaica on Friday. The Caribbeans announced their squad for the match that they must win to square the series and script at least one victory in the winless home series so far. They have made only one change for the match by including Keemo Paul in place of bowler Miguel Cummins.

Gayle last played in a Test in 2014

The omission of Gayle meant that he missed the opportunity to appear before his home crowd for one last time. One of the two current players in world cricket to have made their international debut in the 19th century, Gayle was sad about missing out on bidding adieu to Test cricket at his home ground. Gayle, who played his first Test in March 2000, has represented West Indies in 103 Tests to score 7,214 runs at an average of 42 plus.

He played his last Test match in 2014 against Bangladesh. Over the years, the southpaw has been known more for his exploits in the limited-overs format, especially the T20s. Nevertheless, the ‘Universe Boss’ has made his alternative plans after failing to find a spot in the team. Gayle, who slammed 72 off 41 balls in the third ODI against India at Port of Spain earlier this month, tweeted in response to Windies Cricket’s update about Paul replacing Cummins.

Reshuffle the deck again…see y’all Friday my fans..a double before lunch on day one! #UniverseBoss https://t.co/Q79Z8mBAwN

— Chris Gayle (@henrygayle) August 27, 2019

Just days short of turning 40, Chris Gayle was expected to retire from the ODIs after the 2019 World Cup in which he failed to deliver as per expectations. He turned up to play the ODIs against India and has not given any indication on his future plans. Gayle, who is the West Indies’ eighth-highest scorer in Tests, has also made over 10,000 runs in 301 ODIs and 1,627 runs in 58 T20Is.

He has 42 international hundreds to his credit besides 257 wickets. However, it is his exploits in T20s that draw the eyeballs more. In 384 T20s, Gayle has smashed 12,808 runs at a massive strike rate of 147 plus.

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