West Indies opener Chris Gayle has signed for Somerset for this years Natwest T20 Blast. Gayle will play up to six games during this seasons tournament. He will arrive on either the 22nd or 29th of May.
The big hitter has racked up an impressive 13 centuries in Twenty 20, a stat the south west side will hope he'll add to. "Signing a world-class player of the quality of Chris Gayle is tremendously exciting for the club," said director of cricket Matthew Maynard. "He will be a tremendous addition to our already extremely strong squad. He is an inspirational character and we are delighted to be bringing him to Somerset."
The Jamaican could make his Somerset debut in their home game against Sussex on 22 May, or against Essex at Chelmsford a week later. Gayle joins the list of high profile overseas players in the competition, which include Grant Elliott, Shahid Afridi, Darren Sammy, Corey Anderson, Mahela Jayawardene and Glenn Maxwell.
The left handed batsmen is the third signing by Somerset for the T20 Blast, with Pakistan all-rounder Sohail Tanvir joining the club for the first half of the competition before being replaced by New Zealand's Corey Anderson.