"Everything is pointing at me, everyone's on my back. I'm the one taking all the licks but I'll be a man, I'll take it," said West Indian captain Chris Gayle as reported by the BBC. International cricket would rarely have seen a captain as reluctant and seemingly weighed down by the pressure of his job as Gayle is. Having earned himself a lot of censure for his comments about test cricket, and having had a very poor showing in the recently concluded 2 test series against England, Gayle has nevertheless a very admirable record in one day international cricket.

"I've been hitting the ball well. I just need to try and get some big scores under my belt and be a bit more consistent in the batting department. Getting the support from the guys has been tremendous. I'm not too worried. This is part of the game," said the man who ranks at number 2, just below Mahendra Singh Dhoni in rankings for ODIs.

Meanwhile Kevin Pietersen has had a fresh “Ashes scare” as it is being referred to in the cricket news; he has sustained an injury in the second test against the West Indians, and has reportedly sustained an Achilles tendon injury.  This puts two of England’s most high profile cricket players out of the contention for the ODIs against the Windies, with Andrew Flintoff also requiring surgery following his much criticised stint at the IPL.

"I'm extremely disappointed but the medical advice is to rest. I'm confident it will help me overcome this minor ongoing injury," Pietersen was quoted as having said in the cricket news. The chief medical officer of the England and Wales cricket board was quoted as having said, "The injury flared up after the Second Test in Durham and the best treatment is for Kevin to rest. The injury would not necessarily prevent him from playing but we are enabling the niggle to settle down before the World Twenty20 and The Ashes. This is not an injury that would preclude him from either event."

As of now there is no indication that Pietersen’s injury is anything but minor and he is fully expected to return to the team for the T20 World Cup. Flintoff however is ruled out of the T20 World Cup because of his surgery and there are still some doubts about his recovery in time for the Ashes series, which is due to start in another 7 weeks.

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3.25 Copyright (C) 2007 Alain Georgette / Copyright (C) 2006 Frantisek Hliva. All rights reserved."

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