Western Australia coach Tom Moody hopes the addition of West Indies captain Chris Gayle for this summer’s Twenty20 competition will help propel the Warriors to a lucrative Champions League berth.
But WA will have to achieve a top-two finish in Australia’s Big Bash tournament without the services of Adam Gilchrist, who declined an offer to rejoin his home State for one final fling.
The signing of Gayle, one of the biggest and cleanest hitters in the game, is a major coup for the Warriors.
In 12 Twenty20 internationals, the 29-year-old left-hander has plundered 454 runs at a phenomenal average of 41.27, while also snaring seven wickets at 27 apiece.
WA qualified for the Champions League in its inaugural year but the tournament, which features the best domestic teams from seven nations, was cancelled following the terrorist attacks in Mumbai.
The Warriors failed to quality last year as Victoria and NSW snared the two spots available for Australian teams.
But Moody said the addition of Gayle, the only man to strike a century in a Twenty20 international, would give WA a vital edge in this summer’s domestic Big Bash competition.
“Chris is arguably one of the best Twenty20 players in the world,” Moody said on Wednesday.
“We feel the KFC Big Bash is a great competition now, obviously there’s great reward if you’re successful.
“We’ve got three home games this year so for the WA public to witness such an exciting player - I’m sure he’ll have an impact in helping us have a successful campaign.”
Gilchrist recently led his Indian Premier League side Deccan Chargers to the title in South Africa but informed Moody he was unwilling to make a comeback for WA.
“I floated the idea past him in South Africa about a month ago and spoke to him in person recently,” Moody said.
“Gilly made it pretty clear then that he’s pretty much retired and he felt if he came back to domestic cricket in Australia he’d be virtually coming out of retirement.
“He’s happy with where he’s at with his career and he’s got other commitments now that he’s enjoying.”
Meanwhile, Retravision extended their naming rights sponsorship of the Warriors for a further three years.
And WA announced a number of changes to their squad for the upcoming summer.
Ex-Queensland all-rounder Ashley Noffke headlines the inclusions, while leg-spinner Josh Mangan has been upgraded to a full contract after three seasons as a rookie.
Pace trio Arron Crawford, Paul Davis and Trent Kelly were axed, along with all-rounder Matt Johnston and batsmen Clint Heron and Craig Simmons.
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