Hectic schedule leaves Gayle mentally fatigued

Kingston (Jamaica), Aug 30 (IANS/CMC) West Indies opener Chris Gayle says he is mentally fatigued as a result of a hectic playing schedule and is eagerly anticipating a three-month break from cricket.

His disclosure comes on the heels of the inaugural Caribbean Premier League (CPL) in which he steered the Jamaica Tallawahs to the title by defeating Guyana Amazon Warriors in the final, reports CMC.

"It's been a long road, and I am very, very tired mentally," said Gayle, who claimed the Man-of-the-Match award in the final.

"It was a challenging time batting-wise in the tri-nation series and then against Pakistan, and to have come and played a captain's part in the CPL has been really, really, stressing."

Gayle, who scored 47 not out in the final to lead the Tallawahs to a seven-wicket win over Warriors, started the year with a stint with Sydney Thunder in the Australia Big Bash League.

He represented the West Indies in a one-day and Twenty20 International series tour in late January before returning to the Caribbean to participate in Test and one-day international series against Zimbabwe, followed by a run with Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Indian Premier League in April.

The ICC Champions Trophy in England in May followed soon after, with his last international duties coming in June and July.

"It's been quite a lot, and I am really, really happy that it is over now. No more cricket for me until the next three months," Gayle said.

A series of low scores in the earlier part of the CPL had also raised concerns about his form.

The West Indies are due to tour New Zealand from December to play three Tests, five one-day internationals and two Twenty20 Internationals.

--IANS/CMC

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