Somerset have signed world class West Indies batsman Chris Gayle after a three year wait for him to join the club, reports the Daily Telegraph.
SEE MORE
New Zealand v South Africa Live Streaming Guide & 2015 Cricket World Cup Preview
Cricket World Cup: Nobody is going to stop South Africa, says AB de Villiers
England skipper Alastair Cook lasts just six balls on return to first-class cricket
The 35-year-old had originally agreed to join the South West county in 2012 after falling out with the West Indian board and attempting to become a T20 freelancer. However, Gayle ended up agreeing to play internationals again, and the deal fell through. Still, the pair kept good relations and are now finally making good on the deal.
The batsman will play a maximum of six games for Somerset, and will be alongside fellow big names Corey Anderson and Sohail Tanvir. With Aaron Finch, Glenn Maxwell, Mahela Jayawardene, Shahid Afridi, and even Kevin Pietersen expected to play in the T20 Blast too, the competition is sure to be exciting.
Somerset director of cricket Matthew Maynard said: “Signing a world-class player of the quality of Chris Gayle is tremendously exciting for the club. He will be a tremendous addition to our already extremely strong squad. He is an inspirational character and we are delighted to be bringing him to Somerset.”
Gayle himself said: “Many of the club’s members and supporters will know that I came close to playing for the county in 2012 and I have always felt that, if I was able to, I wanted to honour that commitment to Somerset. I’m looking forward to coming to Taunton and scoring some runs.”
COMMENTS