WT20: Chris Gayle fit to play against South Africa

Big-hitting West Indies opener fit to face South Africa as Caribbeans eye semi-final berth with a victory at the VCA Stadium in Jamtha today

Nagpur: Chris Gayle will return to the top of the batting order as West Indies look to continue their winning run and secure a semi-final berth when they take on South Africa in the ICC World Twenty20 here today.

West Indies batsman Chris Gayle stretches during a practice session at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore last week. Pic/AFP

The big-hitting left-handed opener was dropped down the order to number six in their previous match against Sri Lanka after he pulled a hamstring while fielding.

Gayle and Fletcher are expected to open the batting for West Indies with Johnson Charles moving down the order. “I’ve opened the batting with him on many occasions so I know what sort of a player he is, he is very dangerous and he’s capable of getting big scores as well,” Gayle said of Fletcher.

Proteas desperate
With just a win from two outings, South Africa desperately need a victory to bolster their prospects of reaching the semifinals.

If South Africa fail to beat the Windies then England would be in pole position to qualify from the group going into the last round-robin game.

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