Gayle’s presence signals end for opener

Despite a confident start to the new season, the 26-year old lost form recently and with Gayle brought in to sure up the top order, Peters is likely to be condemned to the County Second XI for the remainder of the campaign.

"Stephen quite understandably wants to be playing first-team cricket," Mark Newton, the Worcestershire chief executive, said.

"If he wants to talk to other people, that is OK. But he is still under contract for another year."

The left-handed Gayle, an aggressive batsman who averages 39 in both forms of the game, arrived at Worcestershire recently and as the club’s overseas player, is likely to keep his place in the squad.

Peters started the season with scores of 55 and 39 not out in the opening County Championship fixture at Derbyshire but since then his form declined and he averaged a mere 8.8 runs in his next five first-class matches.

He registered a series of low scores in Worcestershire’s woeful Twenty20 Cup campaign.