Veteran Chris Gayle is set for a frolic in the Lanka Premier League next month, after being signed by Colombo Stars.
The 42-year-old left-hander joins the South African trio of Imran Tahir, Faf du Plessis and Tabraiz Shamsi, along with the Pakistani star duo of Shoaib Malik and Mohammad Hafeez, as the high profile players announced following Tuesday’s draft.
Chris Gayle will be one of four West Indies players on show with fast-bowling all-rounder Odean Smith turning out for Dambulla Giants, batsman Rovman Powell featuring for Kandy Warriors and 20-year-old fast bowler Jayden Seales doing battle for Jaffna Kings.
The tournament, which bowls off from December 4-23, runs parallel with West Indies’ white-ball tour of Pakistan from December 13-22.
Gayle endured a dreadful campaign at the Twenty20 World Cup in United Arab Emirates, managing only 45 runs from his five innings as West Indies lost four of their five group games.
The Jamaican was picked in the 15-man T20 World Cup squad after averaging 17 from 16 T20 Internationals this year and 18 in nine innings in the Caribbean Premier League.
Despite his woes, Gayle said last week he would not follow all-rounder Dwayne Bravo’s lead in retiring from international cricket just yet, as he hoped for a farewell before his home fans in Kingston.
Seales, meanwhile, will be getting his first taste of global T20 franchise cricket after making his debut for his native Trinbago Knight Riders in last year’s CPL. In the longest format, he has taken 16 wickets from four matches, after making his debut as a 19-year-old against South Africa last June.
Smith was unlucky not to make the cut for the T20 World Cup after an outstanding haul of 18 wickets in the CPL.
Selectors cited fitness grounds for his exclusion.
CMC
