Australia captain Ricky Ponting has predicted Chris Gayle's hurried preparation for the opening Test will have minimal impact on how the West Indies captain performs at the Gabba.
Gayle rushed home to Jamaica last week on the eve of the Windies' four-day tour match against Queensland to be with his sick mother.
Her condition has since improved and Gayle is now en route to Brisbane and plans to take his place at the top of the order when the first Test gets under way on Thursday.
The talented batsman is expected to arrive late tomorrow and some pundits have questioned how influential he will be due to the lack of match practice or time in the nets, on top of jetlag.
Ponting believes otherwise, suggesting Gayle's trademark ice-cool character will ensure he overcomes the less than ideal preparation.
"It'd be hard, but Chris finds a way not to get out of first gear too much," Ponting said after Australia's first training session in Brisbane today.
"He's a dynamic player, but he's pretty relaxed in the way he goes about things, so I don't think there will be any muscle strains or hammys blowing off the bone.
"He's an experienced player, he's been around the world and played a lot ... so he should be able to handle it pretty well.
"Being their captain he might have missed out on a little bit of stuff over the last week, but they'll manage as well as they can."
Gayle, who has not been a part of the West Indian XI since July due to the infamous contract dispute, has been unable to stamp his leadership style on what is an inexperienced squad.
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Leg-spinning great Shane Warne was one who took the view that Gayle's arrival could spur the men from the Caribbean after a relatively tame performance against the Bulls.
"That will give them a lift," Warne said after captaining the ACA All Stars in last night's Twenty20.
"They probably didn't expect him to be there for the first Test, (and) he's made a big effort to come back again."
Warne was of a similar view to Ponting when quizzed on whether Gayle's free-flowing style would suffer due to his chaotic start to the tour of Australia.
"He's not one of those guys who is going to occupy the crease for hours and hours," he said.
"I don't think it's going to matter too much that he might miss a net session before the Test."
