Gayle rested for Bangladesh T20s

West Indies Opener Chris Gayle has been rested for the three-match T20I series against Bangladesh after the hosts announced their 13-man squad for the T20 series ahead of the first T20I scheduled to start on Wednesday at Saint Kitts.

Chris Gayle, 38, was rested according to a Cricket West Indies media release. The left-handed opener scored 142 runs in the recently-concluded three-match ODI series against Bangladesh, including 73 off 66 balls in the series decider while opening the batting in an unsuccessful chase where an 18-run loss saw Tigers win the ODI series 2-1.

"We have rested Chris Gayle and have added left-arm pacer Sheldon Cottrell for variety to the bowling attack," chairman of selectors Courtney Browne said.

Chadwick Walton and Sheldon Cottrell have been recalled into the 13-man West Indies squad. 

They will be favourites to get the better of Bangladesh with the likes of Andre Russell and Marlon Samuels available following injury, and white-ball specialists Rovman Powell and Kesrick Williams also in the line-up. Windies captain Carlos Braithwaite was also back in the fold for the hosts and said that Tigers are a formidable team in T20s but backed their own ability in the shortest form of the game.

"We play best when we enjoy ourselves, when we're having fun, when it's a relaxed atmosphere which it has been. And once we take that relaxed atmosphere on to the pitch in expressing ourselves, I'm sure we'll come out on top. Big respect to Bangladesh, they're a formidable white-ball team, as we saw in the just-concluded ODI series," Braithwaite was quoted as saying by the Jamaica Observer.

"But we know that once we put our 'A' game out, that not much teams can touch us on our day — and that's the plan for the course of the three-game series."

West Indies T20I squad: Carlos Brathwaite (capt.), Samuel Badree, Sheldon Cottrell, Andre Fletcher, Evin Lewis, Ashley Nurse, Keemo Paul, Rovman Powell, Denesh Ramdin (wk), Andre Russell, Marlon Samuels, Chadwick Walton (wk), Kesrick Williams

IN: Sheldon Cottrell, Chadwick Walton

OUT: Chris Gayle, Rayad Emrit