Darren Sammy, the captain of the St Lucia Zouks franchise believes Chris Gayle will be focussed and motivated for the new season set to begin on August 19.
The captain and his power hitter are among eight Caribbean players that the Zouks have retained for the season.
Exciting opener Andre Fletcher, Kesrick Wiliams, pace bowler Obed McKoy, Rahkeem Cornwall, Kavem Hodge and emerging player Kimani Melius, who captained the West Indies U19 team to the ICC U19 World Cup.
Sammy spoke highly of the all-time leading run-scorer in the T20 format and the other players retained by the franchise.
“I don’t have to tell you about Chris Gayle. He is the most successful T20 batsman in the world and I'm happy to be playing with him. I think he will be focused and motivated for the season,” Sammy said.
“Andre Fletcher has been with us since the inception of the league. He carries the true spirit of St Lucia Zouks, and he is a great entertainer on the field.”
He was also pleased that Williams and Cornwall would remain with the franchise for another season.
“Kesrick Williams is one of the top T20 bowlers over the last few years in International cricket. Rahkeem Cornwall really bosses the power-play overs and him partnering up with Chris Gayle is going to be something exciting to watch.
“I'm excited about Kimani Melius because he is from St Lucia. He is one of the hardest working youngsters I've ever seen. With the experience of Chris Gayle and Andre Fletcher, he could really benefit from this CPL exposure.
“Obed McCoy is a talented left-arm fast bowler out of St. Vincent. He is a very skilful bowler, can't wait to see him play a full season for the St Lucia Zouks.
Kavem Hodge is another talented all-rounder we have. He works really hard on his game; he had a pretty good first-class season as well.”
Meanwhile, new coach Andy Flower said he is eager to start working with both Gayle and Sammy.
“I’m really looking forward to having two Caribbean legends in our dressing room; Daren Sammy for his outstanding leadership and Chris Gayle for his experience and explosive stroke play,” Flower said. “They will be central to our chances of doing well in the tournament. Kesrick Williams and Obed McCoy are going to be the mainstays of our seam attack, both operating in very different ways but both extremely effective in this form of the game.
“I am very excited that we have the youth and potential of the West Indies U19 World Cup captain Kimani Melius with us. A St Lucia native, it is brilliant to have him on board and looking forward to seeing how he progresses when he gets his chance.”
International retentions and signings will be announced later. This year teams can retain as many players from their 2019 squads as they wish. They could also transfer players to other teams and sign emerging players.
The CPL is scheduled to take place between August 19 and September 26 but the tournament organisers are currently watching the current situation with COVID-19 closely and are liaising with medical advisors and governments. A decision on whether the tournament can proceed as planned, or at a different time, will be made as soon as possible.