The West Indian batsman says he is open to playing for the English county side.
West Indies and Royal Challengers Bangalore batsman Chris Gayle has given English county side Somerset first refusal on signing him for the domestic Twenty20 competition.
Gayle had agreed to play in the tournament last season but pulled out of playing at Taunton when he decided to play international cricket instead.
The powerful opener signed a contract with Somerset in January 2012 after spending time out of the national side after falling out with the West Indies Cricket Board.
Yet after patching up his differences with the board the 33-year-old made a u-turn on his decision and left the south west side without their star asset for the T20s.
However, Gayle has now declared that if he is available for the English domestic season then Somerset will have first choice on signing him.
“He’s openly saying he would offer Somerset first refusal on his services in the shorter format,” the county’s chairman Andy Nash told the BBC.
The West Indian is currently playing for the Royal Challengers in the IPL and is enjoying a rich vein of form after breaking several records in his last Twenty20 match against Pune Warriors India.
Gayle smashed 175 off just 66 balls in what was the biggest ever 20-over total, as well as hitting the most sixes and scoring the fastest century and half-century in the shortest format of the game.
To date the batsman has amassed 8,442 one-day runs and it seems Somerset made the right decision in settling their differences with Gayle last summer, as he could now play for the club during some of the best form of his career.
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