Windies hoping for fit Gayle

ST JOHN'S Antigua (CMC)

Injured West Indies captain, Chris Gayle will participate in next week's preparation camp for the upcoming Australia tour and officials are hopeful he will be fit enough for the start of the series.

Gayle has been bothered with a groin injury suffered during the third one-day international against Sri Lanka last month and has not played since.

Team manager, Omar Khan said Gayle would undergo a full physical assessment by physiotherapist, CJ Clarke before a decision is made about his match readiness.

"Chris will be part of the camp and the physiotherapist will do a full assessment to see how quickly he will be able to rejoin the team and play again," Khan said.

"We are happy that he will be at the camp because he is a very experienced player and would be able to share his knowledge in the various planning sessions we will have.

"We are hopeful that Chris will be ready to face the Australians. As we know this will be a very important series for us. We are confident of doing well, and we hope to continue the good work we have started."

The injury kept Gayle out of the Indian Premier League Twenty20 tournament where he had signed for US$800,000. Media reports had also indicated that Gayle might have required surgery.

The left-handed Jamaican is the West Indies number one opener and will be needed at the top of the order against world champions Australia.

During the May 12-17 camp, players will undergo intense training and also play a two-day match to enhance their match readiness.

The 17-man group will also have specialised batting, bowling and fielding sessions, net sessions, gym activity, as well as computer and video analysis.

Following the camp, the 14 players chosen for the first Test will move on to Jamaica to fine tune preparations for that opening clash at Sabina Park starting May 22.

Australia, who arrived in Jamaica yesterday, will engage the West Indies in three Tests and five one-day internationals.