Paul, Gayle in West Indies ODI squad to face India

Chris Gayle has found a place in West Indies’ squad for their ODI series against India. Gayle, who had announced in February that he would retire from ODIs after the World Cup, made a U-turn during the tournament, stating that he would “definitely” play the ODI series against India. The selectors have granted him his wish.

Gayle is 12 runs short of Brian Lara’s tally of 10,405 ODI runs, the most by a West Indian batsman, and will get the chance to break the record.

Opening batsman John Campbell and all-rounders Roston Chase and Keemo Paul, meanwhile, have returned to the 14-member ODI squad. Campbell, Chase and Paul were part of West Indies’ squad for the tri-series in Ireland that preceded the World Cup, but did not make the cut for the big event.

Campbell was particularly unlucky to miss out, having scored 179 in a world-record opening partnership with Shai Hope in Dublin before sitting out the rest of the tri-series injured.

From the squad that was at the World Cup, the selectors have left out batsmen Sunil Ambris and Darren Bravo, off-spinner Ashley Nurse, and fast bowler Shannon Gabriel.

All-rounder Andre Russell, whose World Cup ended prematurely with a knee injury, doesn’t find a place either – though he is part of the T20I squad for the India series.

The ODI series will begin in Providence, Guyana, on August 8, and move to Port-of-Spain in Trinidad for the second and third ODIs on August 11 and 14.

West Indies ODI squad: Jason Holder (capt), Chris Gayle, John Campbell, Evin Lewis, Shai Hope, Shimron Hetmyer, Nicholas Pooran, Roston Chase, Fabian Allen, Carlos Brathwaite, Keemo Paul, Sheldon Cottrell, Oshane Thomas, Kemar Roach (ESPNCricinfo)