Gayle elated with return to form in Canada

TORONTO, Canada (CMC):

West Indies captain Chris Gayle said he was pleased with his return to form following his belligerent century in the final of the Tri-Nation Series on Sunday.

The left-handed Gayle, who had gone without a one-day international century for almost two years, crashed a sensational, unbeaten 110 off just 77 balls, as the regional side beat Canada by seven wickets at the Maple Leaf North West Ground.

"It was good to get among the runs again and make a contribution to the victory. I got a good start and decided I would capitalise and make the most of it today," said Gayle, who has been hindered in recent months by a troublesome hamstring.

"Some people may want to say 'just Canada, no big thing', but it is always good to get a ton. I'm truly happy."

West Indies, chasing down Canada's 179 off 46.5 overs after they were sent in, sped to 181 for three with Gayle leading the way.

Team effort

He smashed 14 fours and six sixes and shared an opening stand of 88 with Sewnarine Chattergoon (23) and a second wicket partnership off 77 with Carlton Baugh (29).

"It was an overall team effort and I'm delighted with the way we performed to win and win in style," Gayle said.

"We came with a specific game plan and we stuck to it. Canada played well in the earlier matches and we wanted to make sure we did not let them have too many opportunities. We wanted to make sure we played better cricket than they did.

Overall, I would say we had a very good tour. It gave some new players an opportunity to showcase their skills and they took the chances with both hands."

The tournament was expected to form part of the team's preparation for next month's ICC Champions Trophy, but organisers announced Sunday it would be postponed until next year.