Mystery surrounds Chris Gayle's absence

Mystery surrounded crowd-pleasing West Indies opener Chris Gayle after he failed to appear during the second innings of the opening ODI against New Zealand at Cobham Oval today.

The electric lefthander had made 22 in the West Indies innings, and looked to be finding his range after a slow start, before being dismissed by Doug Bracewell's first ball in international cricket for 15 months. That was him gone for the day.

No one within the West Indies management seemed to know what was amiss with Gayle, other than that he was unwell.

''He took ill,'' said coach Stuart Law.

''We're going to seek further medical advice when we arrive in Christchurch tomorrow. I can't give you any further details.''

Even whether it was a physical illness such as a stomach upset, or a muscular problem, no one seemed to know. All very odd.

This article was first published on nzherald.co.nz and is republished here with permission.