Cricket World Cup: West Indies waiting on Gayle

Chris Gayle heading for the nets during the West Indies' training session at the Basin Reserve. Photo / Mark Mitchell

West Indies captain Jason Holder says the team will wait until tomorrow morning to decide whether Chris Gayle will play in their World Cup quarter-final against New Zealand in Wellington.

Gayle has been absent from training for much of this week due to a back complaint but he has been scanned, received treatment and was spotted at practice at the Basin Reserve this morning.

The influence of the left-handed opener is vast, which is why the West Indies will leave it until the morning of the game to let the 35-year-old recover.

"We have to give him time. Obviously he's at practice today, and we'll see how it goes at practice, and we'll make a decision tomorrow morning," Holder said.

Gayle was at his brutal best when he made a double century against Zimbabwe in Canberra during the group stages.

"Well, obviously Chris's stats speak for themselves. He's one of the most feared batsmen in world cricket. So to have Chris on my squad is a plus for anybody in a sense," Holder said.

"So to have him there and just his presence alone is felt. We just hope that he can perform the way he's been known to perform over the years and we get the best of him."

Gayle missed last Sunday's win over the UAE in Napier and Holder said that result had given them confidence that they could win if Gayle was scratched tomorrow.

"We've got Johnson Charles who came in the last game and he got a half-century and looked the part. So we've got people to fill the boots in a sense. But obviously having Chris Gayle is a plus for us."

Holder said the West Indies would have no problem getting up for the quarter-final, despite their mixed form at the World Cup, which included an upset loss to Ireland in their opening pool game.

"It's a do-or-die situation," Holder said. "It's go big or go home. So that's enough motivation in a sense for the guys just to go out there and put in their all.

"It's a huge thing for us. Obviously, if you've been following, people pretty much didn't expect us to get to the quarter-final stage and now we're here. So for us, we're just going out all guns blazing tomorrow and just giving our all. New Zealand can be beaten. We beat them in the past in our last series we played them here, and I know that we can beat them tomorrow."

Holder, 23, will take the new ball tomorrow with Jerome Taylor and the captain said he welcomed his impending duel with Black Caps skipper Brendon McCullum.

"Obviously Brendon McCullum is carrying some form. Our boys are carrying some form as well. We have Jerome Taylor who is up there with the most wickets in the tournament, and myself, I haven't done too badly.

"We just have to be disciplined. I think aggression is also a key. Brendon's pretty much an aggressive batsman so I would probably fight fire with fire and try to get the better of him."

New Zealand will train later today.