Gayle sidelined with stomach bug

West Indies are hoping that Chris Gayle, their opening batsman, recovers quickly from a stomach bug after he was forced to miss his side's warm-up game on the Pakistan tour.

"Gayle caught a stomach bug during the final of the Champions Trophy in India," Imran Khan, the media manager of the West Indies team told AFP, adding the player was resting for the two-day game. "We hope he recovers in time for the first Test."

West Indies opened the tour with a two-day match against the Pakistan Cricket Board Patron's XI here Wednesday. The first of their three Tests is scheduled to start on November 11 at Lahore.

Gayle, 27, was declared Man of the Tournament in the recently concluded Champions Trophy in India, where he smashed 474 runs in eight matches with three centuries. He backed that up with some tidy offspin, snapping up eight wickets and restricting the run-flow, and was instrumental in leading his side into the final. He couldn't continue his fine run in the final as Australia overwhelmed West Indies by an eight-wicket margin.