DURBAN, Jan 7: West Indies captain Chris Gayle has ruled himself out of the deciding Test against South Africa in Durban with the broken thumb he picked up in Cape Town.

Gayle, who has also suffered from a hamstring problem throughout the series, took a blow from Andre Nel on the fourth morning forcing him to retire hurt.

He returned when the ninth wicket fell to help extend West Indies’ lead alongside Shivnarine Chanderpaul although South Africa eventually cruised home by seven wickets.

He batted with the aid of a pain-killing injection and was able to swing Nel and Dale Steyn for a series of mighty sixes but was never likely to be available for the third Test, which starts at the Kingsmead from Thursday.

There also continues to be a doubt over Fidel Edwards, who pulled up with a hamstring injury during his fifth over of the first innings.

“Even worse than losing the match was the expected prognosis that my thumb injury will necessitate another layoff of two to three weeks,” Gayle said.

Meanwhile, heavy rain in Durban over the last week has left preparations for the deciding Test behind schedule.

Groundstaff at Kingsmead were not been able to start rolling the pitch until the middle of the week and have struggled to work in between downpours.

—Agencies