Gayle likely to recover in time for England clash

Injuries continued to haunt the West Indies in the ongoing World Cup with explosive batsman Chris Gayle becoming the latest casualty after he missed their crucial group B match against Ireland in Mohali on Friday with an abdominal strain.

The West Indies are already a depleted side in the tournament, having lost three key players -- Adrian Barath, wicket-keeper Carlton Baugh and inspirational vice-captain Dwayne Bravo -- to injuries.

And now Gayle's injury is a serious concern for the two-time champions but the Caribbean side is hoping that he will be fit for the next match against England on March 17 in Chennai.

"He (Gayle) has been struggling with the injury for the last week but he continued to bat. This morning only he felt that he couldn't make it to the team," West Indies media manager Philip Spooner said.

"We are treating him on a day-to-day basis. Hopefully, he will be fine to play in the next match," he added.

From the onset, injuries have taken a toll in the game's show-piece event with as many as 14 players being already replaced in the tournament, the last being English batsman Kevin Pietersen.