Jamaican Chris Gayle 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.

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