LONDON,  CMC – Chris Gayle will put off for as long as he can going under the surgeon’s knife to fix a problematic ankle injury, as well as any other aches and pains that have plagued him in recent months.

But the West Indies captain admitted that the injuries have been mounting up, and have affected his mobility in the game, particularly the high-octane environment of Twenty20 matches.

“To be quite honest, I am carrying a couple of injuries, and I should be doing surgery, but I am determined to play on, and give 100 per cent for the team,” Gayle reported yesterday, following West Indies’ 20-run defeat to South Africa in the Twenty20 World Cup.

Gayle was hobbled for a couple of days early in the competition, after he was struck on his right knee, when batting against Australia in his side’s opening match of the competition last Saturday.

“I am always ready to contribute to this team in whatever area, and I just try to put the injuries aside, and focus on what I can handle at this point in time,” he said.

Gayle, who has had problems with his heart in the formative years of his career, has had to endure his share of injury setbacks in recent times.
He came home early from the tour of South Africa two years ago, following a pulled hamstring which forced him to miss one of three Tests, and the subsequent One-day International series, as well as two of three Tests in a home series against Australia.