Chris Gayle ready to reconsider retirement decision after blistering 162-run knock

"I just have to work on the body and then maybe you can see a bit more Chris Gayle, maybe. Things change quickly. Hopefully, the body can change in the next couple of months and we can see what happens,” said Gayle.

The six-fest in Grenada impressed Chris Gayle so much that he is ready to reconsider his decision to retire after the 2019 ODI World Cup in England.  

"What's the matter with the body? I'm nearly 40. But could I un-retire? We'll see. We'll take it slowly," said Gayle hinting that he might think about extending his career even after the World Cup.

"I just have to work on the body and then maybe you can see a bit more Chris Gayle, maybe. Things change quickly. Hopefully, the body can change in the next couple of months and we can see what happens.”

Gayle smashed a breathtaking 162 off 98 balls in the 4^th ODI against England that included 14 hits over the ropes but it was not enough to get his team over the line. West Indies were bowled out for 389 in reply to England’s 418 for six.  A world record 46 sixes were hit in the match – 24 by England (also a world record) and 22 by West Indies.

"I think this is one of the most entertaining games I've ever played in," Gayle said. "It was a fantastic game of cricket. I've been playing a lot of T20 cricket so it's always going to be a difficult coming back into 50-over cricket. But eventually, the body gets accustomed to the 50-over format.

Gayle on Thursday also became the second West Indian after Brian Lara to complete 10,000 ODI runs.

"To get the 10,000-run milestone is a great feeling. I've done it in T20 as well. It's a fantastic achievement from my point of view. Doing it for West Indies as well, that makes it even more superb.

While Gayle enjoyed the game, he felt West Indies could have won if they had played "a bit smarter".

"We didn't utilise that new ball well," Gayle said, referring to England's opening stand of 100 within 14 overs. "If we had, we would have been chasing 380.

West Indies were ahead of the required rate till the time Gayle was out there but things fell apart after he was dismissed. Towards the end, Adil Rashid swept the tail with four wickets in five balls.

"I'm sure the team are all disappointed. I can see the expression on their faces. It's a learning process for the young players. If they do things differently they could have won. So it's good to see that body language when you lose. When that situation comes again I'm sure it will be totally different."

West Indies will take on England in the fifth and final ODI at the Darren Sammy International Stadium in St. Lucia on Saturday with an eye to save the save the series. England currently lead the series 2-1 as the third ODI was washed out without a ball being bowled.