Chris Gayle eyes Test win on Aussie soil

Apart from helping the Sydney Thunder win the Big Bash League, Chris Gayle has three simple things he still wants to achieve in his career.

"Win a Test series in Australia," the big West Indian told The Daily Telegraph.

"That would be a big accomplishment. Those things only happened in 1980s when the West Indies came here and won.

"It's always difficult to win overseas, wherever you play. Teams like South Africa, England, Australia, India, they're always challenging. That would rank high in my cricket career, to win a series in one of those places - to win in Australia would be really nice.

"I've got 14 Test hundreds at the moment, and I'd like to finish with 20 Test hundreds.

"And if I can finish with an average of 45, that's pretty decent for an opener."

Gayle's hopes of a Test triumph on Australian soil will have to be put on hold. The Windies won't play a Test here until the end of 2015.

In the meantime, Gayle is determined to help move the Sydney Thunder off the bottom of the Big Bash League ladder, starting tonight against Adelaide at ANZ Stadium.

To prove how serious he is about helping the Thunder, Gayle took it upon himself to address the players in the ANZ Stadium dressing rooms late Friday, well after their loss to the Melbourne Renegades. He wanted his young teammates to back their ability and pointed out one win could change their summer.

Gayle then arrived at training this week and cracked four successive sixes.

"We've had a bad start, we've lost two games so this is a must-win for us, that's how I view it," Gayle said. "We need to try and get back in the groove and give ourselves that chance to make the final four."As for how the BBL stacked up against the almighty Indian Premier League, Gayle said: "It's up there, second to the IPL. Even though you don't have all the Australian superstars or more senior guys playing, the standard is still very high, and it's a good quality surface to bat on.

"It could be bigger. But the IPL pump a lot of money into (their tournament), and everyone gets the chance to play in it. The window is very different compared to the Australian summer. This is the time they (Australia) play international cricket. We understand that, but the standard is still very high and competitive."

Teammate Sean Abbott said the players took Gayle's pep talk on board.

"He definitely wants to be here and definitely wants this team to do well," Abbott said.

"He's so relaxed and good to have around the group - he relaxes when he needs to, and turns on when he needs to."