London: Stating that he is available for all three formats of the game, Chris Gayle has said that all differences with the WICB have been resolved and he is now looking forward to contributing to West Indies cricket.
“Everything has been rectified,” said Gayle, who played for the first time for the West Indies since the 2011 World Cup against Middlesex on Wednesday.
“The main objective is to contribute to West Indies cricket and its uplift. I`m available for all formats of the game. Hopefully, I can get some runs in whites and in coloured clothes,” he said.
Gayle had not donned the West Indies colours after the 2011 World Cup, following a breakdown in relationship between him and the WICB.
But recently, Gayle had discussions with the WICB, after which he pulled out of a contract with Somerset to play for his national team once again. He was eventually picked in the West Indies squad for the limited-over series against England.
Gayle, who, in his comeback match, scored 34 off 30 balls in West Indies` win over Middlesex in a tour game here at Lord`s on Wednesday, said he was happy to be back.
“It is good to be back in my No. 45 jersey. I represented West Indies once. I started out a bit nervous, I am human, but things came along well after that. Unfortunately I got out. I am looking forward to the first ODI and should be in a better state of mind,” he said.
Gayle added that his aim now was to fit into the squad quickly.
“Once you get settled in, everything will come back to normal. You get that feel again in any environment which you have been out of for a year. Once you get back that feeling, once you get back into your comfort zone, things will be much easier,” said the explosive batsman.
“I want to contribute more. Hopefully get a few more centuries for West Indies. The most important thing is to try and get a couple of series wins, because the pressure has been there. Even when I wasn`t playing, the pressure was still there. I am still a part of it whichever way you look at it,” he said.
Speaking about the upcoming ODI and T20 series against England, Gayle said even though West Indies had a number of power-hitters in its side, it would “still need to play smart cricket by rotating the strike, picking up the singles, etc”.
England and West Indies are all set to play three ODIs, starting on Saturday, followed by a one-off Twenty20 International.
PTI
First Published: Friday, June 15, 2012, 10:20