Cricket: Only way is up for demoralised Windies

Chris Gayle has opened up about the distressed state of the West Indies team as they lurch from torment to torment on the international stage. Easily the most laid-back personality in the tourists' squad, the 26-year-old Jamaican said this week team morale and spirit was still strong, but conceded that a lack of success was taking a toll.

The West Indies squandered their best chance of breaking their winless streak this week in Auckland, and start the second test in Wellington this morning having lost their last seven matches, and 13 of their past 16.

Gayle, who posted a test triple-century against South Africa last year, said the challenge now was to take the positives out of the Auckland setback and look forward to better things in Wellington.

But he said the lack of results was hard to accept. "The first-test loss really hurt," he said. "We've been losing games for a couple of years now but with every game it really hurts inside, it's devastating for everybody.

"We need to go back to the drawing board, but whenever the turning point for the West Indies comes, we'll still have a lot of talent to pick from.

"The dressing room was so quiet [at Eden Park. But whatever's gone, has gone. I'm trying to look forward to this test match."

He said one of the more palatable aspects of the opening test was the strong early batting in the fourth innings, an asset he agreed was eventually swamped by a rogue new ball and an inexperienced middle order.

Both teams agreed the replacement ball used in the third innings at Auckland, after Gayle had smashed Daniel Vettori into the guttering of the Taverners Stand, changed the mood of the innings.

The New Zealand attack quickly started discovering a previously-undetected willingness for the ball to reverse, and the West Indies lost their first eight wickets for just 98 runs.

"I think ourself and Daren [Ganga] set it up well for the team, but no one got a big innings in the middle. The six I hit, that really caused a big problem, I think. They got a harder ball and it tended to do more. But we're not going to say that, because of the ball we didn't win. New Zealand played some good cricket."

But Gayle said the lack of experience in the middle-order was taking time to correct, and leaving too much responsibility others.

"It was a bit of inexperience with [Denesh] Ramdin, [Dwayne] Bravo and [Dwayne] Smith that they couldn't kick on.

"I think they just hadn't come across that situation before, so hopefully they use it as a learning experience."

Making the task even tougher for the West Indies was the loss this week of established right-hander Ramnaresh Sarwan, who was invalided out of the tour with a torn muscle in his left thigh. Either Runako Morton or left-hander Devon Smith will fill in.

"Sarwan is a big loss for us but we have a couple of guys who can get the job done. Whoever gets the opportunity to bat at No.3 will fill his boots."

The highlight of Gayle's career arrived last year at Antigua, when the West Indies and South Africa traded punches in one of the most prolific run bonanzas; no fewer than eight batsmen passing 100 in just over two innings.

Gayle's contribution was a massive 317, an innings that provoked Lara to suggest his team-mate would one day emulate his own record and break the 400-run barrier. "I got a taste of three figures and realised it's not easy," he said. "But it's good to get the feeling and if you come across the situation again you know how to go about it, and can take it from there.

"I still believe I have a lot in me to offer cricket and I don't want to wait too long before for the end of my career in my 30s, I want to start right here and go from strength to strength."

And whatever happens there, Gayle revealed he had a sibling who was showing signs of eclipsing anything he'd achieved.

"I have a younger brother but he's eaten more than me," Gayle quipped. "He's back home playing club cricket; a left-hander and an opener as well.

"He's very capable. Wavell Hinds says my brother's better than me."