CANBERRA, Australia (AP):

West Indies skipper Jason Holder put a positive spin on Chris Gayle's batting slump so far at the World Cup, saying the big-hitting batsman has the full confidence of his team.

The West Indies bounced back from a demoralising opening loss to second-tier Ireland to trounce Pakistan by 150 runs on the weekend, and Holder expects the momentum to continue.

In both games so far, the West Indies have batted first and posted 300-plus totals, despite Gayle scoring 36 and four at the top of the order.

"We still have full confidence in him, and it's very good to see that still he hasn't fired and we still gain 300 runs," Holder said. "I'm sure when his contribution comes, we'll get somewhere close to 400, hopefully."

The West Indies posted 310-6 against Pakistan after being sent in to bat, and bowled out Pakistan for 160 in 39 overs last Saturday.

"We didn't get so many runs from the top order thus far, but the middle order has really put their hand up and taken responsibility," Holder told a news conference in Canberra on the eve of the Zimbabwe match. "It would probably be better if we could get the top order to fire and hopefully in this game it can do that."

Despite his reputation as a clean-hitting and rapid run-scorer, Gayle has never reached his peak at the World Cup. He made his debut at the quadrennial tournament in 2003, where he scored 119 against Kenya - his only World Cup century to date.

Holder said Gayle, a 35-year-old former captain, would be unperturbed by a weekend controversy sparked when West Indies Cricket Board president David Cameron retweeting a spectator's suggestion that Gayle be given a "retirement package." It followed Gayle's dismissal against Pakistan in Christchurch, New Zealand.

"I'm sure Chris would just put that behind," Holder said of the retweet, which was condemned by The West Indies Players Association.