Chris Gayle will play the final game of his brief stint with Somerset tomorrow evening, after the club agreed to let him return to Jamaica one match ahead of schedule.
Gayle has been a huge success on the field playing for Somerset, scoring 328 NatWest T20 Blast runs in three matches.He scored 92 on his debut at Essex, before following it up with the sixth-highest
Individual score in T20 history – 151 not out from 62 balls on his home debut against Kent. The 35-year-old then hit a match-winning 85 not out as Somerset beat Hampshire by eight wickets last Friday.
In three matches, Gayle has scored 328 runs, with 29 sixes and 22 fours.
But Gayle, who was supposed to return to Jamaica for the Caribbean Premier League after Saturday’s South Group match against Glamorgan at Cardiff, will now head back to his homeland after tomorrow’s Taunton clash with Surrey.
Director of Cricket of Somerset County Cricket Club, Matt Maynard said: “Tomorrow is going to be his last game. He is returning to the CPL, which kicks off very soon. He has been absolutely brilliant for us, and he asked to be released one match sooner. We have accepted that and hope that he will come back.”
“He has exceeded expectations – 328 runs is a good tournament for a lot of players, and he has done it in three games. He has been incredible and he has surpassed what we expected. When he asked to miss the Cardiff game, we supported him.”
Gayle initially signed for Somerset for a six-game pack, but when Royal Challengers Bangalore progressed in the Indian Premier League, that got reduced to 5.
The big West Indian will now return to his home state to captain the Jamaica Tallawahs in the CPL, which kicks off next weekend, having played four games for Somerset.
But Gayle has already suggested he could return to play for Somerset should they reach the knockout stages of the competition.
“We will be sad to see him go – but hopefully we can get him back for the knockout games,” Maynard added.