FORMER West Indies captain Chris Gayle now has three goals in mind after hammering his third Test double-century on the opening day of the first Test against Sri Lanka in Galle yesterday.
Gayle said he would like to surpass his career-best score of 317 five years ago, and also ensure the West Indies amass over 500 runs in their first innings which would help them hunt a Test victory for the first time in Sri Lanka.
“It would be nice to get a Test win in Sri Lanka but it won’t be easy. You’ve got to get ten wicket-taking deliveries and move on to get another ten. We still have four more days to go. We’ll have to continue and build on this,” said Gayle, who was unbeaten on 219 as the West Indies raced to 362 for two at the end of the first day.
Sri Lanka whitewashed the West Indies 3-0 in 2001, despite West Indies scoring over 400 runs twice in the series, something Gayle, now playing his first Test after being replaced as skipper by all-rounder Darren Sammy, had clearly not forgotten.
“Brian [Lara] scored over 600 runs in the series but we lost all three Test matches. At the same time we got about 400 runs here [Galle] in the first Test the last time I was here, but we still lost the Test match.
“We still have that in mind so we are not taking anything for granted. It was a good day for us so we just have a try and get about 500 runs and get a good start,” noted Gayle.
Gayle also expressed his desire to make another triple century after recording his first against South Africa at the Antigua Recretaion Ground.
“I’d love to get to that 317 that would be a milestone. The wicket’s still good to bat on and the spinners are getting a bit more bounce and turn. We’ll see tomorrow, if we can get past the first hour anything is possible.”
The century was Gayle’s first in the subcontinent and he was thrilled to have finally managed the feat. (EZS
