Chris Gayle shocked one and all by opting to decline selection for his side’s upcoming ODI series against India but skipper Jason Holder is backing the stalwart to turn out for the West Indies in the 2019 ICC World Cup in England.
The 39-year-old swashbuckling opener recently called time on his first-class career with a century for Jamaica in his final game. Holder, who is currently leading the Windies outfit in India, believes Gayle remains one of the most entertaining batsmen in world cricket currently.
“Chris is an all-star and I think it’s clear he’s probably at the back end of his career now. He’s probably tapering off a bit. I just saw him play his last List-A game for Jamaica, scoring a hundred against my home team, which is great to see. I enjoy having Chris around. I think he’s one of the most entertaining players in the world but his absence gives another player opportunity,” Holder was quoted as saying by ESPNCricinfo.
“We have a limited time leading up to the World Cup and it’s a good option to see what we have in the tank, in terms of our pool of players, when one door closes another one opens and hopefully it’s an opportunity to see another young guy coming through,” the all-rounder added.
Gayle declined selection for the ODI series against India.
The World Cup might now only be eight months or so away but Holder is confident that Gayle will walk back into the ODI outfit once completely fit.
“He’s definitely going to play the World Cup once his body holds up and he’s fit. We’d welcome him into the team. If you go back to the beginning of the year, Chris made himself available for the World Cup Qualifiers,” said Holder.
“He only did that really because he wants to play the World Cup, he wants to play well for West Indies and he wants to do well.”
Gayle has so far played a whopping 284 ODIs for the West Indies, scoring 9,727 runs at an average of over 38 with the help of 23 tons.