West Indies legend Sir Vivian Richards insists that star batsman Chris Gayle could be allowed to retire on his own terms provided he continues to perform at a high level.

The 39-year-old Windies star was thought to have retired following the third One Day International (ODI) against India earlier this week.  Ahead of the match, talk in some quarters surrounded the batsman continued presence in the team, particularly after a poor performance at the ICC World Cup and a combined total of 15 in the two prior games.

The big left-hander, however, gave a stirring response to his critics with a smashing 72 off just 41 deliveries.  In addition, Gayle insisted that he had not announced his retirement following the series, creating a conundrum for the selectors in upcoming ODI series. West Indies bowling legend Curtly Ambrose had suggested that Gayle should step aside to allow the team to focus on new talent, with the next World Cup in mind.  Richards, however, believes Gayle could still be a valuable contributor to the Windies squad.

“Over the years Chris has been a brilliant batsman.  The only worrying thing I have would have with Chris now is if we cannot see the performances that we did in Port of Spain,” Richards said in an exclusive SportsMax Zone interview.  

“We can agree that one particular thing is that he is not as mobile in the field as when he was younger but if he can put in those types of performances, that in my opinion would suggest that we can still have him around to add that type of experience,” he added.

“I love to see class, I appreciate class and Chris brings this.  If he cannot perform like he did on a consistent basis well then we can start thinking other things like whether he should be there or not.”    

Windies legend Brian Lara has congratulated top-order batsman Chris Gayle on breaking his record for the most One Day International (ODI) runs scored by a West Indian batsman.

The 39-year-old Gayle reached the mark during the second ODI match of India’s current tour of the Caribbean.  Heading into the series, Gayle was 11 runs away from surpassing Lara and eventually achieved the feat in the ninth over of the second ODI.

The batsman was, however, dismissed soon afterward, making 11 runs.  The opener was also sent back to the pavilion early in the first match after making 4 runs.  Gayle now sits on 10,353 runs, five ahead of Lara's tally of 10,348 runs.

Lara congratulated Gayle for achieving the milestone via social media platform Twitter.

"Congratulations @henrygayle most runs by a West Indian in ODI cricket," Lara tweeted.

Gayle is expected to retire from international cricket, following the series and has not been included in the Test team.  The Windies will play India in the third and final ODI on Wednesday.

Windies star Chris Gayle is admittedly grateful to achieve the significant mark of 300 ODIs, the most appearances by any West Indian player.

The left-handed opener reached the mark during the second ODI against India at Queens Park Oval, in Trinidad, on Sunday.  The appearance moved Gayle, now 39 years old, past another West Indies legend Brian Lara, who had made 299 and makes him the first West Indies player to take part in 300 ODIs.

 "I'm thankful, it's a great achievement to actually accomplish," he said in a video posted by Windies Cricket on Twitter.

"It's a very special day. I must give thanks to the almighty to actually reach this far and to the fans for the support through the years, it's been fantastic.”

Gayle could of course also make more history as he remains just 9 runs shy of Lara’s record for the most ODI runs (10,405).  The opening batsman struggled in the abandoned first ODI, scoring 4 from 31 deliveries.

“Hopefully I can make it a special one today for the fans. 300 ODIs, from a personal point of view as well I want to make it a special one. I'm grateful, but it will be more important to get a win as well and go one up as well."

The batsman will have to have to wait or his chance, however, as India won the toss and choose to bat.

Newly-appointed St Kitts and Nevis Patriots skipper Carlos Brathwaite has admitted that star player Chris Gayle will be a big loss both on and off the field for the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) franchise.

After two years with the Patriots, the 39-year-old Gayle will head back to his home country to join the Jamaica Tallawahs.  In two seasons with the franchise, Gayle led the team to the final in 2017, before being eliminated in the playoffs the following year.

In addition to his presence on the pitch, Brathwaite believes the player will also be missed in the team’s dressing room.

“Chris is now gone so we need to find a replacement for Chris, probably not in the same style that he would play, but with the results that he would normally bring to the team. Obviously, that’s another big character gone in the dressing room as well, so we have to manoeuvre slightly differently, but we need the same results where we challenge for the top four and then once we get to the top four, we challenge for the title,” Brathwaite said.

“I think people look for the shouting and the ‘hurrah’ and Chris is not necessarily that. He’s more calm, collective, cool. He leads by example. He has the respect of everyone in the dressing room, so whenever he speaks you know his words are worth the weight in gold. I think a lot of people take his coolness and his calm persona for granted but there’s very much a whole heap of respect in all the dressing rooms I’ve been fortunate enough to play alongside him in, everyone in the dressing room gives him maximum respect.”

A blistering century from veteran West Indian batsman Chris Gayle counted for nothing as Vancouver Knight’s Global T20 Canada encounter against Montreal Tigers was abandoned due to rain.

The 39-year-old struck a magnificent 122 as Vancouver powered to 276 for 3 in their turn at the crease.  The big West Indian blasted seven boundaries and an astounding 12 sixes as the team posted the second-highest total in T20 cricket.

Gayle was well supported by opening partner Tobais Visee who scored a quick-fire 51 runs from 19 balls.  South Africa’s Rassie Van der Dussen also got in on the act after smashing 56 from 26 balls.  The Tigers were, however, unable to reply after the game was called off due to persistent rain.  The Knights, who are currently third in the table, were looking for their second win of the campaign having lost their previous encounter.

West Indies bowling legend Curtly Ambrose has maintained the belief that the regional team should have looked past star batsman Chris Gayle for the regional team’s tour against India.

The 39-year-old opening batsman had initially announced plans to retire from international cricket, following the recently concluded ICC World Cup.

 Gayle, however, changed his stance just ahead of the tournament and indicated he would stay on for the upcoming tour of India as a potential farewell.  Ambrose and a few others, however, believe the World Cup was the perfect time for the veteran to step aside.  The left-hander was, however, included in an ODI squad to face India. 

Despite struggling to make an impact at the World Cup, Gayle was the player of the series in an impressive performance again England in the Caribbean earlier this year.  While lauding Gayle for his contribution to regional cricket, Ambrose insisted it was time for fresh blood.

 “You need them to get better in terms of the Hetmyer and the Pooran and so forth, and Evin Lewis; so, what are you going to do? Let Chris Gayle play for a next four years and then four years later you bring them in, and are they going to get better then? Of course not,” Ambrose told the Antigua Observer.

“If any of the selectors walk around thinking they owe Chris Gayle or anybody anything then something is wrong because that’s not what West Indies cricket is all about; it is about picking your best possible players to take the team forward,” he added.

“Chris Gayle has played for many years and has done extremely well and I have a lot of respect for him but what I am saying is that it is time to move on. People talking about give him a farewell Test match; he hasn’t played Test for five years so what you are telling me is that one of your opening batsmen, whoever he may be, you’re going to tell him to sit this game out and let’s give Chris Gayle a farewell, but that doesn’t make sense.”

An Australia court has thrown out an appeal by media group Fairfax, which would have annulled damages owed to Windies star Chris Gayle who won a defamation suit against the entity last year.

Gayle took the publishers to court after allegations that he exposed himself to a female masseuse during the 2015 World Cup came out in several of its publications.  More specifically, it was alleged that the batsman exposed his penis and indecently propositioned the woman in a dressing room during the tournament.

The jury sided with the player, who strongly denied the allegations, in finding that the publishers acted with malice and accorded the cricketer damages amounting to US$211,000.  In its appeal, however, Fairfax argued that the jury should have been discharged after Gayle’s attorney attacked the credibility of the masseuse.  In response, the player’s legal team had appealed to increase the size of the payout to the West Indian star. Both appeals were dismissed.

 Fairfax newspapers are now owned by commercial broadcaster Nine Entertainment, which purchased the media company last year.

Soon to be retired Windies star Chris Gayle is confident the future of the region’s cricket is in safe hands having made his final appearance at an ICC World Cup on Thursday.

It was not the perfect swansong the veteran batsman might have envisioned heading into the tournament.  The Windies earmarked by few as dark horses won a mere two games and finished second to last.

The typically prolific batsman also showed signs that perhaps time was finally catching up, as he struggled to get going at the crease.  In nine matches the Windies talisman could only manage 242 runs.  In the final match against Afghanistan, Gayle was dismissed for seven, his third single-figure score of the tournament.  The result means the batsman remained second on West Indies' all-time list of ODI run-scorers, 10 behind Brian Lara.

“The future looks bright, with (Shimron) Hetmyer, (Shai) Hope, (Nicholas) Pooran… Those guys will carry the flag and make sure West Indies cricket is back to where it belongs,” Gayle said following the match.

“They have a young captain in Jason Holder as well. They have to rally around,” he added.

“We also have Andre Russell who is around. I like Pooran and Hetmyer, as those guys can be devastating as batsmen. They need to get a bit more mature quickly. We know what they’re all capable of.”

West Indies bowling legend Curtly Ambrose believes a new generation of cricketers must lose the label of ‘power hitting team’ if they are to take another major step in a positive direction.

Heading into the ongoing ICC World Cup, the Windies were picked as a dark horse by pundits and fans alike, in part due to a powerful batting line.  Several disappointing performances at the crease later, however, the regional team failed to live up to the promise of a truly powerful batting display.  

Despite boasting a few inexperienced players, however, Ambrose believes the team’s issues are down to the ‘boundary first’ mentality of several players.

“It’s not the experience and it’s not technique.  I don’t think there is anything wrong with their skills.  I have said before and I will continue to say that they need to put some more thought into their cricket,” Ambrose told BBC Sound.

If they can think situations through a little bit better they can get over that last hurdle,” he added.

“You have to respect good bowling at times…they have this notion that they are power hitters and they can hit boundaries.  Even if the bowling is really good they sill believe they can blast their way out.  That’s not how cricket is played, you have to respect good bowling.  You wait and you keep the ones and twos going, which they don’t do often.

So when they are not getting the boundaries they are not getting the ones and twos.  So they try even harder to get the boundaries and keep getting out.”

Windies bowling legend Curtly Ambrose has dismissed the idea of veteran batsman Chris Gayle playing what would amount to a farewell Test series against India next month.

The 39-year-old Windies talisman was expected to announce his retirement from international cricket following the ICC World Cup.  The big left-hander, however, seemed to have a change of heart during the tournament and targeted India’s tour of the West Indies as his final appearance.

Never one to shy away from speaking his mind, Ambrose has flatly rejected any type of sentimental appearance for the opener.

“Let me tell you something, one word; nonsense,” Ambrose said of Gayle’s plans for going beyond the World Cup.

Despite scoring 7,214 Test runs, which puts him eighth on the all-time list, and notching two triple centuries, Gayle has not made a Test appearance for the West Indies since 2014.

“He hasn’t played Test cricket for five years and he can barely make it in a One Day International, with long periods in the field.  A Test match is five days, six hours every day and he hasn’t does it for five years,” Ambrose told BBC Sounds.

“What kind of message would it send to one of the opening batsmen? ‘It’s a farewell game for Chris Gayle so sit this one out’ - that is utter nonsense,” he added.

“He should bow out of this World Cup gracefully. He’s done extremely well for West Indies in world cricket, but you bow out. Move forward.”

It was like West Indies skipper Jason Holder was discovering a surprise gift, hearing the news Chris Gayle planned to play on after the World Cup.