The fact that Chris Gayle has returned to the field is a wonderful shot in the arm for the West Indies cricket team, according to Jason Holder. Their first ODI against England will also be Gayle’s first since back in 2015, at the World Cup, where he managed the first double century in that competition’s entire history: 215 against the Zimbabweans at the game in Canberra.
Old Trafford is the Locale for Tuesday’s Fixture
Old Trafford will be the setting for the first fixture of the five-match ODI series, and this game sees Gayle return after his protracted dispute with the Cricket West Indies bosses kept the 37-year old Jamaican left-hander on the sidelines of each and every international game for over two years.
Gayle’s Still Got What it Takes
Gayle returned to Twenty20 international action on his home grounds: Sabina Park, in Kingston, back in July. And he quickly showed that he had not lost any of his rapid scoring ability by blazing 40 off of 21 balls. The World Twenty20 champions, West Indies, showed why they are the title holders as they beat the English by a total of 21 runs in the sole Twenty20 of their Chester-le-Street tour on Saturday.
Chris Gayle
Holder Comments on Gayle’s Abilities
Chris Gayle has scored over 9 000 runs, along with 22 hundreds, in 269 ODIs, at a strike-rate of 85.11. Holder is appreciative of Gayle’s return to the ODI format, telling reporters at Old Trafford that it was obviously a big boost for the team. He added that, thanks to what an excellent player Chris is, one can expect great things from him when the games begin. Punters interested in the rigours of live sports betting are no doubt just as excited about Gayle’s return!
Holder went on to say that Gayle had showed some form in the T20 game, and made a good show in the team’s Caribbean Premier League contest that had recently been concluded. He stated that he was very excited about having Gayle back on the team, and that he thought he seemed up for the challenges to come, adding that the player is upbeat, and really glad to be getting back into the game. Holder ended the interview by stating that he was definitely looking forward to seeing good things from Gayle.
Holder Hopes Saturday’s Game will Give Team Momentum
Holder, who is not in the Twenty20 team after leading the West Indies team in a 2 – 1 Test Series loss to England earlier on in the tour, stated that his side would be able to take some confidence from their Chester-le-Street win. He added that the fact that they overcame the wet, cold conditions to record a compelling victory over the English should give them momentum, and they were certainly in the right frame of mind to win. He added that they are all professional athletes, and were well aware of the likely weather conditions in England, and had managed to deal with the situation admirably. Although it presented a challenge, it was all about adjustment, Holder stated, and they had done a great job.