West Indies captain Chris Gayle will join Western Australia for the domestic Twenty20 competition.
Gayle, who has questioned the future of test cricket amid the booming popularity of T20, will be Western Australia's international import for the tournament, coach Tom Moody announced Wednesday.
"Chris will provide a tremendous boost to the Warriors' Big Bash campaign, and having missed out on the opportunity to compete at the first Champions League Twenty20, we are determined to do all that we can to give ourselves a great chance of qualifying for the 2010 edition of the tournament," Moody said.
The top two Australian provinces qualify for the T20 Champions League, which will be launched in India later this year.
Western Australia signed the 29-year-old Gayle after failing to persuade former Australia wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist to come out of international retirement for the T20 squad. Gilchrist led Deccan to the Indian Premier League title this season.
The big hitting Gayle averages 41.27 in 12 T20 internationals and is among the leading exponents of the most condensed version of the international game.
His West Indies teammate Dwayne Bravo has signed to play for Victoria state.
