Chris Gayle set to play for West Indies after 2 years, will play T20I series vs Sri Lanka

Chris Gayle is set to play for West Indies for the first time in two years after being recalled by the national side for their upcoming Twenty20 International (T20I) series against Sri Lanka at home.

West Indies will host Sri Lanka in a three-match T20I series, three One-Day Internationals (ODIs), and two Tests. The T20Is will be played at the Coolidge Cricket Ground, Antigua, the 50-over games are scheduled to be held at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, North Sound, Antigua, which will also host the Tests. The series is due to begin on March 3 with the first T20I and will go on till the end of the month.

The West Indies limited-overs squad, led by their senior all-rounder Kieron Pollard, has also recalled fast bowler Fidel Edwards. Nicholas Pooran is set to be Pollard's deputy for the T20I series. The 21-year-old off-spinner Kevin Sinclair has earned his maiden West Indies call-up, while left-arm spinner Akeal Hosein has bagged his first T20I call-up.

In the ODIs, Shai Hope, who has played 78 ODIs for West Indies, has been named the vice-captain. He has scored over 3,000 runs and averages 52.20 in the 50-over format, playing for West Indies.

"As we build towards the defence of the T20 World Cup, the opportunity is being taken to determine our best team and squad as we go forward. Chris Gayle has performed very well in recent tournaments and the selection panel thinks that he can still add great value to our team. Fidel Edwards has been selected to give the bowling the potent firepower needed.

Jason Holder has shown his all-round value in this format in recent times and after missing a few series he will add depth and experience to the squad. Akeal Hosein performed very well in Bangladesh [ODI Series] and had excellent stats in the CPL so this is an opportunity to see how he equips himself in this format. Kevin Sinclair grabbed our attention in the Super50 Cup back in 2019 and has been consistently economical in the last CPL and the current CG Insurance Super50. He will provide an off-spinning option for the team," Cricket West Indies Lead Selector Roger Harper said.

West Indies T20I team: Kieron Pollard (c), Nicholas Pooran (vc), Fabian Allen, Dwayne Bravo, Fidel Edwards, Andre Fletcher, Chris Gayle, Jason Holder, Akeal Hosein, Evin Lewis, Obed McCoy, Rovman Powell, Lendl Simmons, Kevin Sinclair

West Indies ODI team: Kieron Pollard (c), Shai Hope (vc), Fabian Allen, Darren Bravo, Jason Holder, Akeal Hosein, Alzarri Joseph, Evin Lewis, Kyle Mayers, Jason Mohammed, Nicolas Pooran, Romario Shepherd, and Kevin Sinclair