l DUBAI

Big-hitting opener Chris Gayle has vaulted 12 spots into the top five of the ICC Twenty20 International batting rankings, less than two weeks after returning to West Indies colours following a two-year exile.

In the latest rankings released yesterday, 32-year-old Gayle was fourth behind new number one, England's Eoin Morgan.

The movement for Gayle comes after he plundered half-centuries in both Twenty20 Internationals against New Zealand in Florida last weekend.

The left-hander stroked an explosive 85 from 52 balls as West Indies won the first game by 56 runs on Saturday and followed up with a measured 53 on Sunday as the Caribbean side carved out a convincing 61-run victory.

Only nine days ago, Gayle played his first T20I for West Indies in two years after ending a stand-off with the West Indies Cricket Board that also saw him barred from Tests and One-Day Internationals.

In four innings since his return, the Jamaican has lashed three half-centuries.

Gayle has also moved up three places to sixth in the all-rounders rankings led by Australian Shane Watson.

The next highest ranked West Indies batsman is all-rounder Dwayne Bravo who jumped five places to 30th

Morgan eased up two spots to overhaul New Zealander Martin Guptil at the top of the rankings.

In the bowlers' rankings, captain Darren Sammy is the highest ranked West Indies player at 12th, with England's Graeme Swann at the top.

–CMC

Selected positions from the latest ICC Twenty20 International rankings released yesterday:

BATTING

1 Eoin Morgan (ENG) 774

2 Martin Guptill (NZ) 760

3 B.McCullum (NZ) 750

4 Chris Gayle (WI) 744

5 Suresh Raina (IND) 734

6 Mahela Jayawardene (SL) 733

7 Tillakaratne Dilshan (SL) 714

8 Shane Watson (AUS) 706

9 Kumar Sangakkara (SL) 700

10 David Warner (AUS) 681

30 Dwayne Bravo (WI) 459

BOWLING

1 Graeme Swann (ENG) 744

2 Saeed Ajmal (PAK) 739

3 Johan Botha (SA) 715

4 Ajantha Mendis (SL) 710

5 Shahid Afridi (PAK) 704

6 Nathan McCullum (NZ) 682

7 Lasith Malinga (SL) 652

8 Mohammed Hafeez (PAK) 639

9 Stuart Broad (ENG) 638

10=Morne Morkel (SA) 629

10=Nulan Kulasekara (SL) 629

12 Darren Sammy (WI) 627

ALL-ROUNDERS

1 Shane Watson (AUS) 438

2 Shahid Afridi (PAK) 360

3 David Hussey (AUS) 337

4 M. Hafeez (PAK) 307

5 Dwayne Bravo (WI) 219

6 Chris Gayle (WI) 211