West Indies captain Chris Gayle admitted the volume of international cricket being asked to play was starting to get to him following their Test series humbling by England.
The West Indies were thrashed by an innings and 83 runs at the Riverside on Monday in the second and final Test after England won the opener at Lord’s by 10 wickets.
Gayle, much criticised for arriving from the lucrative Twenty20 IPL tournament in South Africa just two days before the Lord’s Test, found himself embroiled in fresh controversy, when he suggested he would not have a problem if the five-day format died out. “It has been a lot of cricket,” Gayle told reporters.
“It boils down to the mental side of things, not the physical — and it has been non-stop for us, and is jam-packed for the rest of the year as well. You have to look after yourself, and the mental part is key.
“There’s no two ways about it. At some stage you will find you lapse a bit, and you have to be aware of that.”
However, Gayle said fixture congestion was not the reason why his side lost the Test series so emphatically after defeating England 1-0 in a five-match campaign in the Caribbean.
“It’s been a disappointing result in both matches, and for part of it we do feel we have ourselves to blame. West Indies though remain a handy one-day side and Gayle, whose second innings 54 at the Riverside off 43 would not have looked out of place in a limited overs match, said: “We still have three ODI games to look forward to - and we hope we can win that series. It will be a tough task, but we will just have to regroup again.”
Meanwhile Gayle said he was still happy to carry on as West Indies captain despite his indifference towards Tests. “I’m definitely enjoying the captaincy,” he said.
“It’s done a lot for me as an individual, and I am grateful for that. I’m happy to lead the West Indies team - whenever, wherever.”
AFP
