Jason Omar Holder, former captain of the West Indies cricket team, is ‘big’ on his teammate, Christopher ‘Universe Boss’ Gayle.

Speaking to news9live.com, Holder lauded Gayle’s contribution to West Indies cricket and is prepared to travel to Jamaica to see the ‘big man’ last hooray.

The Windies allrounder said that missing that game is not an option even if he isn’t part of the team.

He said Gayle deserves a big send-off and looks forward to seeing a packed stadium.

“I hope that we can have a packed stadium to give Chris the best send-off we could possibly give because God above knows that he deserves it. You know, so looking forward to that occasion. Even if I’m not in the team, I’ll probably fly over it and watch it.”

Holder has called Gayle an ‘absolute legend’ and arguably ‘the best opening batsman’ the Caribbean islands have ever produced.

The Barbados 30-year-old cricketer opined that Gayle had served Windies cricket well, in good and tough times.

“He’s a guy I’ve got so much respect for. For everything that’s happened to him in his career, be it injuries or falling out with the board or coaches, he has always given his services to West Indies. He is an absolute legend, arguably the best opening batsman to play for the West Indies.”

He further said, “His [Gayle’s] numbers speak for themselves, and in all three formats, (he has provided) just years of entertainment. He always did things with a smile on his face, and he brought a different order towards T20 cricket, and then my biggest respect for Chris is to be able to do it across formats.”

Holder also argued that going forward, the West Indies could use Gayle in coaching or a mentorship capacity.

“I wasn’t there to see any of his triple hundreds in Test cricket but scoring two 300s in Tests says a lot about his quality. Salute to him. I hope that he could be put into mentoring or coaching in some capacity if he’s up for it.”

“I think cricket and cricketers need his skills. We will definitely miss Chris in the field, but you know, it’d be good to still keep him in some capacity afterwards,” Holder added.

Readers Bureau, Contributor

Edited by Jesus Chan

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