Somerset will not be taking legal action against Chris Gayle following his decision to play for the West Indies rather than them this summer.
Gayle was contracted to Somerset in the Friends Provident t20, following his stint with Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Indian Premier League.
But the destructive opening batsman announced on Thursday, in an attempt to heal his rift with the West Indies and end a year-long international exile, that he instead intends to be available for his country's limited-overs matches against England.
Somerset acted quickly to sign South Africa batsman Faf de Plessis in place of the Windies master-blaster - and after toying with the possibility of suing Gayle, they have had a rethink.
Chief executive Guy Lavender issued a statement on the club website, which read: "Having taken legal advice and reflected on the situation over the last 24 hours, we have concluded that it is not in the best interests of Somerset County Cricket Club, Chris Gayle, or cricket more generally to pursue this matter any further.
"We wish Chris well and hope to see him back playing for the West Indies this summer."
