West Indies opener Chris Gayle has been named vice-captain of his team for the men’s ICC Cricket World Cup 2019, Cricket West Indies said Monday, May 6.
The 39-year-old was represented in 103 tests, 289 one-day international matches and 58 Twenty20 internationals with a total of 9898 international races. Gayle also has leadership experience after winning his team in 90 games between 2007 and 2010.
Gayle, who will complete his final 50-year tournament, will be assisting Jason Holder, and as a senior player, he felt “responsible for supporting the captain and everyone else on the team.”
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“It’s always an honor to represent the West Indies in every format, and this World Cup is something special for me,” he said. “As a senior player, it’s my job to support the captain and everyone else in the team, which is likely to be the biggest World Cup so there will be great expectations, and I know that we will do well for the people of Switzerland West Indies . “
Gayle was part of the 2019 Indian Premier League, in which he played for Kings XI Punjab, who could not qualify for the knockout round after his sixth place in the table.
Gayle himself had a great run, but scored 490 runs in 13 games with a brilliant strike rate of 153.60. However, due to his participation in the league, he missed the ongoing Tri Series in Ireland, where West Indies compete with the hosts and Bangladesh.
In his absence, Cricket West Indies appointed Wicket Keeper hitter Shai Hope to Deputy Holder for the series ahead of the team’s second ODI against Bangladesh.
Hope played a key role in the opening game of West Indies in the 1961 opening game against Ireland when he scored a brilliant 152-ball 170 with 22 fours and two sixs. He also participated in a 365-day opening session with John Campbell – the highest in the format for the first wicket.
Say hello to @windiescricket‘s vice-captain for #CWC19, @henrygayle! 👊 pic.twitter.com/cBmVNzlCgs
— Cricket World Cup (@cricketworldcup) May 6, 2019
“It’s a great honor to be named vice-captain here in Ireland for this series,” said Hope. “Prior to this tournament, I was asked to take on this role and I gladly accepted it, all I should do for West Indies Cricket, I’m always happy and ready to shake hands, so this is great.”
West Indies will compete against Bangladesh on May 7 in Dublin in the second ODI of the Tri Series. They will open their World Cup campaign against Pakistan in Nottingham on 31 May.
A run down of the many, many records smashed by John Campbell and Shai Hope during their mammoth 365-run opening stand v Ireland.https://t.co/72NbTevu5v
— ICC (@ICC) May 5, 2019
