July 28, 2008	Monday	Rajab 24, 1429

PORT-OF-SPAIN (Trinidad), July 27: Chris Gayle is likely to step down as the West Indies captain, the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) has reportedly indicated. The board however said it is yet to receive official word from him.

“I am aware he is considering not making himself available for the captaincy,” Dr Donald Peters, the WICB chief executive officer, told Trinidad and Tobago Express on Saturday. West Indies’ next assignment is the Champions Trophy in September.

West Indies were recently drubbed 5-0 in the one-day series against Australia at home, after losing the three-Test series 2-0. Gayle was apparently unhappy with the selection policy for the last two ODIs and also questioned the policy of experimenting with several youngsters against the Australians.

Gayle has had mixed results as captain, winning two Tests out of five and seven ODIs out of 17. He led West Indies to two series wins in one-dayers, including an away victory against England last year, and against the touring Sri Lankans recently.

He presided over a surprise win in the first Test against South Africa in Johannesburg but his side went on to lose the next two games and the series. His other Test win came against Sri Lanka in Port-of-Spain to level the two-match series.

Gayle has however struggled with injuries during his tenure, sometimes struggling to keep fit for an entire tour. He returned home from the tour of South Africa after suffering a thumb and hamstring injury and a groin niggle ruled him out of the Indian Premier League.—Agencies