Injured Chris Gayle ruled out of South Africa Test series
Aggressive opening batsman Chris Gayle has been ruled out of the Test series vs South Africa, starting on December 17. The 35-year-old last represented his country in September against Bangladesh. He has been replaced by another left-hander in Devon Smith.
He is the second player after Dwayne Bravo to pull out of the Test series. Bravo opted out due to personal reasons.
Smith is coming back into the team on the back of decent form in the current domestic season, having scored one century and five half-centuries in the first-class circuit. He last represented his country in July 2013.
This will be the Caribbean side’s first series after they infamously withdrew mid-way through their tour of India in October. The selectors had named an 18-man squad for the South Africa Tests. The side will be captained by wicket-keeper batsman Denesh Ramdin.
Following the Tests, the two teams will square off in a five-match ODI series and a three-match T20 series.
Squad: Denesh Ramdin (Capt), Sulieman Benn, Jermaine Blackwood, Kraigg Braithwaite, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Sheldon Cottrell, Assad Fudadin, Shannon Gabriel, Jason Holder, Leon Johnson, Kemar Roach, Marlon Samuels, Devon Smith, Jerome Taylor, Chadwick Walton