Chris Gayle hints he could reverse decision to retire from ODI cricket
Written by News on 03/03/2019
Chris Gayle hinted he could reverse his decision to retire from one-day international cricket after inflicting another brutal innings on England.
The Windies batsman announced before the drawn series against Eoin Morgan’s team that he would quit international 50-over cricket at the end of this summer’s World Cup.
But Gayle was in electric form against England, scoring two centuries and two fifties in four innings, culminating in a 27-ball 77 in the final fixture in St Lucia, a knock containing nine sixes.
“We’ll just have to wait and see. On another day maybe I’d say something different. For now we’ll wait and see what happens,” the 39-year-old told Sky Sports Cricket when asked whether he could postpone his retirement.
“The captain [Jason Holder] said in the last game that he can’t understand how I can announce my retirement when I am striking the ball so well. The youngsters have something to feed off.”
Gayle ended the series with 424 runs at an average of 106 with a top-score of 162 in Grenada, while he muscled 39 sixes across his four knocks – taking his tally of maximums in all forms of international cricket combined to a record 515.
The Jamaican also revealed his blistering 77 in St Lucia, which teed up Windies passing England’s total of 113 in just 12.1 overs, came with the “wrong bat”.
“I think this has to be my best ODI tournament from a personal point of view – but I’m not sure, I’m not a stats person so I can’t remember many stats,” said the left-hander.
“I know I had some good series but this one has been outstanding – to be able to do it at home is fantastic. To average a hundred against England is superb as well.
“I played in a couple of T20 series and wasn’t getting runs [despite] really putting in the work – I was like ‘what’s happening? This is my format and why I was branded the king of T20!’
“I was like ‘whoever gets the willow is going to feel it’ and thankfully it was against England at home.
“Today I picked up the wrong bat – so things happen!
“I didn’t want to give the bowlers rhythm and the chance to get on top of us.
“Sometimes when you are chasing a small total it can be a bit tricky, so I said ‘let’s try and push it in the first over and see if it works – and it did’.
“I am also in a bit of form so I could see the ball better.
“If you put them on the back foot they will forget how good a wicket it is to bowl on and it will play into our hands as batters.”
Watch the first Twenty20 international between Windies and England, also in St Lucia, live on Sky Sports Cricket from 7.30pm on Tuesday.
(c) Sky News 2019: Chris Gayle hints he could reverse decision to retire from ODI cricket
