Jamaican Chris Gayle [ Images ] has been appointed captain of West Indies [ Images ] for the forthcoming series against Sri Lanka [ Images ], the West Indies Cricket Board said on Wednesday.

The hard-hitting opening batsman stood in for injured captain Ramnaresh Sarwan [ Images ] during a triumphant one-day series against England [ Images ] and then skippered the team to their first Test win in South Africa [ Images ].

Gayle was injured during the South Africa tour and had to return home leaving Dwayne Bravo [ Images ] as stand-in skipper.

With Sarwan having recovered from his ankle injury and expected to be back in the squad for the two Tests against the Sri Lankans, the WICB had a tricky choice to make.

The board handed Guyanese Sarwan the reigns of the team following the retirement of Brian Lara [ Images ] after the World Cup but a shoulder injury cut short his tour of England.

The first Test against Sri Lanka will be played in Guyana from March 22-26 and after a second Test in Trinidad in April, the teams will play three one-day internationals.

Australia [ Images ] then visit the Caribbean in May for a three-Test series, five one-day games and a Twenty20 [ Images ] match.