Back surgery to sideline Gayle till December

West Indies batsman Chris Gayle has said that he will be out of action for "two to three months" to address his long-standing back problem with surgery.

Speaking after Jamaica Tallawah's loss 27-run loss to Trinidad & Tobago Red Steel in the Caribbean Premier League, Gayle said: "I have a charity game on the 2nd, but after that I will be out of cricket for two to three months. I am going to do a surgery on my back.

"So I need some time for recovery. Maybe December, before I actually get back in cricket as well. You have got to wish me luck with that surgery and then I will be back strong. Who knows, we will see what happens."

Gayle had issues with his back even during the World Cup, missing the group game against UAE due to injury, and taking an injection to play in the quarter-final against New Zealand.

Gayle, though, has remained prolific for his clubs in T20 cricket; he racked up 491 runs from 14 IPL games, 328 runs from three Natwest T20 matches, and is currently the leading run-getter in the CPL, with 430 runs at an average of 61.42.

Should Gayle be sidelined till December as expected, West Indies will miss his services for a yet-to-be-confirmed tri-series against Pakistan and Zimbabwe in August-September. Gayle is also contracted to the Melbourne Renegades in the Big Bash League, which begins on December 18.

BREAKING NEWS @henrygayle says he will miss 2-3 months of cricket as he is to undergo back surgery #CPL15 https://t.co/PJxHfcE9tN

— CPL T20 (@CPL) July 24, 2015