File photo of Chris Gayle.
West Indies veteran opener Chris Gayle is all set to make an international cricket return at the age of 41 after the southpaw was picked for the national squad for the T20I series against Sri Lanka.
This will be first time the opener will don the West Indies colour since 2019 World Cup. However, with four openers in the team, along with Evin Lewis, Lendl Simmons and Andre Fletcher mean Gayle might have to bat lower down the order. And the burly Jamaican is willing to grab the opportunity with both hands.
"It's not a problem. I'm good at playing spin, I'm as good at playing fast bowlers as anyone as I'm an opener. But with West Indies cricket, whatever role they want me to play, I'm willing to play that particular role. We haven't fully discussed it but I'll get a bit of a heads up and work out what to look forward to in this particular series and down into the World Cup," he said during a press conference.
"If it's opening, I'm ready, No. 3, No. 5 - I'm pretty much flexible. I will still be the best No. 5 in the world, best No. 3 in the world."
Speaking of his possible batting position, Gayle admitted he might be the no. 3 as that's the position he batted at last year's IPL for Kings XI Punjab (renamed Punjab Kings) and revealed that it was KXIP coach Anil Kumble's idea.
"It seems like I'm the No. 3 specialists now (at Punjab Kings during IPL 2020). It was a role that the coach, Anil Kumble, asked me to play. He did mention it before the IPL actually started, which I had no problem with and then eventually, when I actually got the chance, they wanted my experience at No. 3 because Mayank [Agarwal] and KL Rahul were going great guns at the time," he said.
