Sri Lanka's Lasith Malinga

Despite being on the wrong end of a nasty bouncer from fast bowler Lasith Malinga, West Indies batting star Marlon Samuels rates the Sri Lankan speedster as the best bowler in the world.

"Malinga is a very lovely person," Samuels said. "There is no history with him, I was just in a spot where I had to play some shots, but that's just cricket and Malinga is still the best bowler in the world.

"It is just unfortunate that the ball hit the bat, but that is sports. Everything about the sport is tough, the ball is tough, the bat is tough, and cricket is tough, so the individual has to be tough."

The 31-year-old Jamaican all-rounder was struck by a bouncer from Malinga on January 6, in the Australian Big Bash T20 League match between the Melbourne Renegades and Melbourne Stars. The blow left Samuels unable to see out of his right eye for over two weeks, which forced him to miss the West Indies tour of Australia and the Bangladesh Big Bash.

"Some blood was in the eye, but they didn't recommend any surgery, as it was getting well so fast and there was no after effect," Samuels said.

As to when he will be back playing competitive cricket, Samuels has no set time frame.

"I will know when I am ready, but I will not force anything; I will take my time until I feel like I am 100 per cent, and then I will definitely come back and take on the world," Samuels said.

fruitful 2012 season

Samuels had a very fruitful 2012 season where he moved his Test, One-Day International and Twenty20 averages to 37.36, 30.84 and 32.44, respectively. The year was, however, not without its moments of controversies, as apart from the altercation with Warne and injury sustained he was accused of throwing by Brisbane Heat coach Darren Lehmann.

"What am I going to do about it; (Muttiah) Muralitharan is still having problems," Samuels highlighted. "Sometimes you are in a situation and persons will still try to keep it alive, so that is just testing of your character."

Samuels, who has since his return to the island taken back up modelling with an appearance on Mission Catwalk, plans to use the time away from competitive cricket to reflect.

Marlon Samuels