PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad (CMC):

Chris Gayle could miss the start of the limited-overs part of England's tour of the Caribbean which begins later this week.

The West Indies captain strained his right hamstring on Sunday's third day of the fifth and final Test at Queen's Park Oval, when going for the single that formalised his 10th Test hundred and second of the series.

"The medical scan (yesterday morning) revealed no major signs of muscle damage, but a a low grade one tear of his right hamstring and this will require seven to 14 days to heal," a West Indies spokesman told reporters.

Gayle reached his milestone from 161 balls, when he turned Stuart Broad to midwicket and Owais Shah misfielded. He ran through for the single and was fortunate that Graeme Swann's throw missed the stumps at the bowler's end.

But Gayle went down almost immediately after completing the run and belatedly acknowledged the applause of the crowd after spending a few seconds on his knees.

West Indies physiotherapist C.J. Clark was summoned and following a few agonising minutes of treatment on the field, Gayle eventually limped off to the chagrin of scores of home team fans in the ground.

"I felt the twinge with my last two strides," Gayle said about the injury. "On 99, you are always looking to put out that last extra effort to get the single to take you to triple figures.

"But it is just one of those things and I have been in this situation before, but I do not want this to be a regular thing.

"I pulled this same hamstring before in South Africa, so I think I may have aggravated it a bit. But this will not stop me - I'll be batting again."

Surely enough, Gayle resumed his innings in the post-tea session yesterday, after West Indies slipped to 482 for six.

The limited-overs section of the England tour begins with a Twenty20 International at Queen's Park Oval on Sunday.

This will be followed by the first two One-Day Internationals on March 20 and 22 at the Guyana National Stadium, the third and fourth ODIs on March 27 and 29 at Kensington Oval in Barbados and the final ODI on April 3 at the Beausejour Cricket Ground in St Lucia.