WOULD CHRIS GAYLE EVER RETIRE?

CHRIS Gayle, who turns 42 on September 21, is packing his bags for another West Indian tour of duty – ahead of quality players just over half his age. 

This is leading WI cricket purists to ask the searching question: Would Gayle ever retire? 

Or, more appropriately, would the West Indian selectors let the veteran ride off into the sunset? 

Gayle is a member of the 15-man team for the marquee T20 World Cup competition, to be held between October 17 and November 15 at the United Arab Emirates and Oman. 

In the world of sports, including the gruelling activity of cricket, there are not many athletes with such an enduring career as the Jamaican batsman. 

An obvious exception is Tom Brady, the 44-year-old American football quarterback, but he is a consistent competition winner and a well-tuned sportsman. 

Gayle made his Test debut in March 2000, and, over a lengthy and colourful career, he has played much white- and red-ball cricket around the world. 

He is a genuine cricketing superstar, with great fan appeal, largely because of his batting prowess. 

But at age 42, his batting skills have been noticeably declining and he is slower on the field. 

He is clearly in the path of a number of emerging regional cricketers who have excelled in recent competitions and deserve the attention of the selectors. 

The lead selector of the WI team, Roger Harper, has conceded that Gayle met different eligibility fitness standards. 

In other words, the benchmark was lowered for him. 

But that criterion did not apply to spinner Sunil Narine and batsman Sherfane Rutherford, who were sidestepped because they were deemed not to be fit enough. 

Rutherford, at age 23 and a scoring machine at the Caribbean Premier League (CPL), did not meet the selectors’ fitness standards. 

But Gayle, on the other side of 40 and well past his glorious era, has been confirmed on the touring side, to face off against robust, young competitors. 

There are other puzzling selections and omissions, but cricket aficionados are wondering what led to the mysterious selection of Gayle for the world’s toughest cricket competition. 

And would the batsman ever pack up his gears and head into retirement?