DURBAN (South Africa), Jan 22: West Indies captain Chris Gayle is flying home from the tour of South Africa to recuperate from his hamstring injury.

“Given the most recent prognosis I will require at least another two weeks of recovery before I could even consider picking up a bat again,” the opener wrote in his diary on the Cricinfo website.

“I have been granted permission by the West Indies Cricket Board to return home to Jamaica to concentrate on getting better.”

Gayle tore his hamstring during the tour of Zimbabwe which preceded the South African trip.

He played in the first Test in Port Elizabeth but was hampered by the injury in the second match and missed the third Test.

Gayle was also forced out of Friday’s Twenty20 match and Sunday’s first one-dayer.

“Chris will go home,” West Indies media officer Philip Spooner said.

Spooner said Dwayne Bravo, who has stood in for Gayle in his absence, would take over the captaincy for the four remaining one-dayers.

The team’s management had yet to decide whether to call for a replacement from the Caribbean, said Spooner.

Gayle, who injured his thumb in the second Test in Cape Town, has entrusted Bravo to steer the ship in his absence — but he too is combating his own injury after picking up a side strain during the Test series.

“I had already been feeling quite frustrated at just sitting around and having to watch my team-mates battling out in the middle without any contribution from me,” Gayle said.

“We will be hosting two top teams, Sri Lanka and Australia, in the coming months and I definitely want to be 100 percent fit for those matches. So leaving the tour is the most logical step at this stage.”

Clive Lloyd, the West Indies’ team manager, said: “This gives an opportunity for the younger players to show their mettle and step up to the plate.”—Agencies