PERTH, Australia (CMC) — West Indies opener Chris Gayle has hinted at the possibility of retiring from Test cricket if his recurring back problems cannot cope with a tight international schedule.

Gayle says he plans to assess his future after the ICC World Cup when he meets with officials of the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB).

However, he says his passion for playing Test cricket remains.

“I do [feel passionate about playing Test cricket], to be honest with you,” Gayle said in an interview with Digicel Cricket, in Perth.

“It is just that lately this back problem has kind of pushed me away a bit from Test cricket. To be able to go five days, it has been tough”.

The West Indies are due to play three Tests against England in

April-May, two against Australia in June, three against Sri Lanka in October and again against Australia in December.

Unconfirmed reports even suggested that the West Indies might return to India to complete their abandoned tour.

“I haven’t sorted my situation yet, which is the back problem,” Gayle pointed out.

“That is another concern… because I’ve been playing cricket straight on the road and really didn’t get a chance to spend the time and give the back as much time to heal.”

Gayle, 35, has played in only 18 of the 41 Test matches the West Indies have contested since March 2010.

He could not finish his last match against Zimbabwe at home in September owing to the lower back injury which also ruled him out of the Test series in South Africa preceding the World Cup.

“After the World Cup we will see what happens,” he said.

“Where Chris Gayle will actually head. Or you can sit and discuss and work out how we go about playing for West Indies cricket.”

Gayle has played 103 Test matches with an average of 42.18 runs per innings, including 15 centuries and 37 fifties.