Gayle buoyed by Test series success

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, CMC – Veteran Chris Gayle says he is thrilled with the Test series win over England in the recent three-match series and hopes that success can it used as a motivation for the one-day rubber which bowls off here yesterday.

West Indies, entering the series as rank underdogs, trounced England in the opening two Tests to reclaim the coveted Wisden Trophy for the first time in a decade.

They lost the final Test last week in St Lucia as the series finished 2-1.

“We had a great Test series. That was one of the greatest things happening in the last 10 years,” said Gayle, who oversaw the last Wisden Trophy success back in 2009 when his West Indies side won a five-match series, 1-0 in the Caribbean.

“I was the captain in the last home series [to beat England] and to see Jason Holder lifting that trophy is fantastic and hopefully we as a unit can get the better of England here in the ODI series.

“England is always dangerous in ODI cricket as well. They have a great all-round team so it’s not going to be easy. It’s not going to be a rollover so I’m looking forward to some great cricket from both teams.”

Gayle is returning to the ODI squad for the first time in seven months, after missing tours of India and Bangladesh in the latter half of last year.

He is the most experienced member of the squad, with 284 matches, and 23 centuries and nearly 10 000 runs under his belt.

With West Indies having not beaten England in a ODI series in 12 years, Gayle hopes he can bring his experience to bear on a successful outcome.

“It’s a bit of experience coming into play. I’ll be looking to share my experience with the youngsters and just enjoy the next couple months with the West Indies cricket team,” the 39-year-old said.

West Indies face England in the second match of the doubleheader at Kensington Oval on Friday.