THE Jamaica Scorpions will receive a dose of star power for the upcoming Regional Super50 tournament with the return of big hitters Chris Gayle and Andre Russell.
The 38-year-old Gayle has not appeared at the tournament since 2012 when the team defeated Trinidad in the final. Russell, who is fresh from a one-year ban for doping whereabouts violations, last played in the tournament in the same year.
The Scorpions will be hoping to recapture the title for the first time since 2012, particularly having been stopped at the final hurdle by Barbados last season.
With the tournament set to bowl off on January 30 and end on February 24, it is uncertain how long Gayle will remain with the local team.
The batsman has been named as a part of the Windies team who will take part in the 2018 ICC World Cup Qualifier, which will take place between March 4 and 25.
The team will travel well ahead of the tournament. The tournament, which will be held in Zimbabwe, begins on March 4 with the Windies opening their campaign on March 6.
The Windies, along with Afghanistan, Ireland and Zimbabwe, missed out on automatic qualification for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 by finishing outside the top eight of ICC ODI Team Rankings at the September 30, 2017, cut-off date.
Jamaica squad:
Jermaine Blackwood, Chris Gayle, Brandon King, Christopher Lamont, Andre McCarthy, Nikita Miller, Rovman Powell, Andre Russell, Peat Salmon, Odean Smith, Oshane Thomas, Gavin Wallace, Chadwick Walton, Alwyn Williams.