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Chris Gayle drops Test retirement with West Indies hint

Image: Chris Gayle celebrates his double century against Zimbabwe

West Indies opener Chris Gayle has hinted that he could announce his retirement from Test cricket after the World Cup.

Gayle, 35, lit up the tournament in Australia and New Zealand last week with a superb double-century against Zimbabwe, the first in a 50-over World Cup.

It marked yet another one-day landmark for Gayle, although the left-hander does also boast 15 centuries and nearly 8,000 runs in Test matches.

However, the demands of the modern-day game appear to have caught up with Gayle, whose West Indies side will play host to England for three Tests in April.

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When asked if he could retire from the five-day game before Alastair Cook's side head to the Caribbean, Gayle said in an interview broadcast on Digicel Cricket's Facebook page: "It's a possibility you never know, so let's see what happens.

"In the later stages (of his career) this back problem kinda pushed me away from Test cricket. To be able to go five days has been tough.

"I haven't sorted my situation yet which is the back problem. That is a concern, it's something to look forward to because I've been playing cricket straight on the road and didn't really get a chance to give the back the time to heal."

Gayle insists he still retains the passion for Tests, having played 103 of them for West Indies, but is not keen on taking any drastic steps to prolong his career in the format.

"People say surgery, but once you get the surgery, your career can be over," he said. "To do surgery on the back, it will never be the same as well.

"It's a lot of thinking. After the World Cup we will see what happens."

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