Chris Gayle to return for West Indies in third ODI against England

25 September 2017 02:54

Chris Gayle will be back to open for West Indies against England in the third Royal London Series match.

The destructive opener missed the second match of five at Trent Bridge on his 38th birthday, after feeling a twinge in his right hamstring in the warm-up.

Scans on the problem indicated no serious issue, however, and two days later Gayle was fit to take part in West Indies nets.

Captain Jason Holder confirmed the big-hitting left-hander will be back to take on England again in Bristol on Sunday, as the tourists bid to battle back from 1-0 down.

"I think Chris is good to go," said Holder.

"I think the last game (off) was more precautionary than anything else, and he seems to be raring to go.

"It's good to have him back, and we hope we can have him for the duration of the series."

Gayle gave England a brief demonstration in the series opener at Old Trafford that his power-hitting remains undiminished after his spell out of the one-day international team during a breakdown in negotiations with the West Indies board.

"He definitely brings a lot to the team, a wealth of experience, and his record speaks for itself," added Holder.

West Indies do have a further injury doubt, however, over pace bowler Kesrick Williams.

He was selected to play in Nottingham, where rain washed out all but 2.2 overs in any case, only to suffer a back spasm as soon as the match started.

"We started to bowl last time, and then he was unable to take the field," said Holder.

"I think he should be all right going into the game, but we're still not entirely sure."

West Indies cannot afford another defeat in any of the remaining matches if they are to prevail over five.

Holder added: "There's definitely still an opportunity to win this series.

"We need to learn from that [defeat at Old Trafford], but put it aside now, and take it step by step. We head into these last three games with full confidence."

Holder and his team's thoughts are also with those affected by Hurricane Maria in the Caribbean.

"It's obviously a very sad time," he said.

"Dominica has suffered such damage. Just recovering from the previous hurricane, to be hit by another one of this magnitude is devastating.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with the people there."

Source: PA