Windies - Hard work ahead

Captain has promised his team will make amends

Last updated: 27th March 2008

West Indies chris gayle v South Africa January 2008

Gayle: Full of faith

The stats haven't been very good against Sri Lanka, so this is a motivation factor, to try and move on from strength to strength.

Chris Gayle
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Chris Gayle has vowed West Indies will bounce back from their first ever Test defeat at home to Sri Lanka.

The Windies went down by 121 runs in Guyana on Wednesday despite making 315 in their second innings.

Dwayne Bravo made 83 runs acting as an opener in Gayle's place, but only Ramnaresh Sarwan (72) and the skipper himself (51 not out) helped make any more of a significant dent in their target of 437.

But with the second and final Test starting in Trinidad on April 3, Gayle has now doubt his side will improve.

Joke

"It's just for us to go back to the drawing board and come back really prepared, focused and ready to play a tough Test match in Trinidad," he said.

"The stats haven't been very good against Sri Lanka, so this is a motivation factor, to try and move on from strength to strength.

"It's no secret that I have struggled against Chaminda Vaas. Yes, he has got me out the majority of times in Test cricket whenever I play against Sri Lanka.

"But it's something you have to face and something you have to deal with. I tried something different, tried something new, coming in a bit later when the ball is a bit older, and it worked. But I don't know if I'm going to do it in the next game."

Asked about the decision to switch batting positions with Bravo in the second innings, Gayle revealed that it was the result of a joke.

"While Bravo was bowling, I went up to him and said (jokingly): 'Bravo, you want to open the batting?' And he said, 'Yeah man, that will be better off for me as well.' So I decided to exchange positions," Gayle added.

"It paid off in the end. He got a half-century, I got a half-century. But it's not something I'm looking at for the next game, for Bravo to open the batting."