ICC World Cup: Gayle backs out of training but no problem, say Windies

SydneyWest Indies captain Jason Holder Thursday played down Chris Gayles absence from training on the eve of the teams crunch World Cup Pool B match with South Africa at the Sydney Cricket GroundGayle who has a chronic back complaint hit the highestever individual World Cup score of 215 containing a recordequalling 16 sixes in Tuesdays thumping win over Zimbabwe in Canberra Holder said 35yearold Gayle was being nursed through the tournament to ensure he was in the best possible shape to playChris Gayle Pic AFPIn terms of Chriss fitness obviously hes been struggling over the past with his back So were trying to monitor him as best as we possibly can Holder told reporters at the SCGSouth Africa skipper AB de Villiers laughed off talk about Gayles absence from training He doesnt train often I played with him in Bangalore and you dont often see him in the nets he told reporters His body is quite old for his age I think He needs to look after himself to make sure he gets on the path with all the games Gayle said he has had the back injury since January last year and was managing it Its the same back injury Ive had it since last January It cant seem to be solved to be honest with you he said this weekIts a bit of a mind thing I try and do a lot of massage Im a person that likes to go to the gym and Ive been restricted from that for a couple of months as wellHolder 23 who was pitched into the hot seat as captain of the notoriously fractious Windies team said Gayle exerted a big presence in the dressing roomWeve always rallied around Chris Chris is one of the most jovial people in the dressing room Holder said He brings a different atmosphere He brings a lot of fun Hes a big team man and his presence is pretty much felt in the dressing room It was a really good feeling not only to see him get a hundred but going on to get a double hundred Hes broken records and hes set the path in world cricket in a sense I think its important that his success is crucial to our overall success We love himDe Villiers knows what a dangerous threat Gayle poses to his side in Fridays SCG showdown The fact that he scored runs is definitely not a surprise Its not a surprise to see him bat like that he said Its a matter of making sure you make your plans against him Hes a worldclass player and he can win games for his team in almost any situationHolder who replaced Dwayne Bravo as captain after the West Indies sensationally abandoned their tour of India last October over a contractural dispute with the WICB said he was getting to grips with the leadership role Every day I would say it gets better Obviously we have our difficulties inside the dressing room he admittedEvery team has that But we just try to get the best out of our players I think the guys are really coming to terms with me being captain Ive spoken about building a relationship with the players and I think Im getting there slowly but surely It wont happen overnight but I think the longer Im here the more Ill build relationshipsHolder said leftarm spinner Suleiman Benn was recovering from back trouble which kept him out of the Zimbabwe match and could feature on the normally spinfriendly SCG pitch We just monitored him yesterday and scans showed there was no real damage towards his back so thats a good sign for us he said Hopefully well see how he pulls up tomorrow and well make a decision based on the conditions