The Hindu : Sport : Gayle at his ravaging best

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Wednesday, Sep 12, 2007
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Gayle at his ravaging best

Nandita Sridhar

Sensational start to the ICC World Twenty20

— Photo: AP

MARAUDER: West Indian opener Chris Gayle his characterstic self, giving the South African bowlers a mauling, during his century knockon Tuesday.

Johannesburg: For 75 minutes, Chris Gayle lived out a fantasy. In the first match of the inaugural ICC World Twenty20 between the West Indies and host South Africa, Gayle was destructive not just because he could be, but because he had to be. His team needed him to clinically decimate the bowling with little regard for anything else. His team needed him to be him, and the result was 117 in 57 balls with seven fours and as many as 10 sixes.

The shots flew off the blade like they were pre-programmed to repel the fielders. South Africa captain Graeme Smith had most of his fielders on the perimeter, but Gayle wasn’t to be curtailed. If you can’t pierce them, clear them.

Tone set

Smith sent the Windies in to bat and sent Shaun Pollock in to bowl the first ball of the Championships. There was a sense of anticipation. This was the studious line-and-length exponent versus the unorthodox plunderer. Gayle cut the first ball for four, which seemed stage-managed by the cosmic forces of the Championships. Clichéd as it might sound, it set the tone for the entire innings

Carnage

Therein started the carnage. The bowlers were reduced to bowling machines with Gayle pulling with aplomb and smashing fours just over the bowlers’ heads. This was squeaky clean hitting by a characteristically impassive Gayle. Two of his shots stood out. One six that nearly took out a branch off Morkel and another straight over Pollock’s head, just after being hit on the toe.

The mini-slog overs saw a handful of wickets. Devon Smith edged one to keeper Mark Boucher off Vernon Philander after giving Gayle some solid support.

Both put on the highest partnership in a Twenty20 match, putting on 145 runs in 12 overs for the first wicket.

Marlon Samuels, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Dwayne Smith and Ramnaresh Sarwan perished in their attempts to keep up with Gayle. Samuels was caught by Abe de Villiers off Pollock, while Boucher did not miss a heave by Chanderpaul off Johan Van der Wath.

Most wickets fell to slog attempts, including Gayle’s miscued pull off van der Wath.

The first match was expectedly a match of firsts. First four of the tournament, first front-foot no-ball, first free-hit (which was criminally wasted by Devon Smith), and first the ever centurion in the tournament and in a Twenty20 match.

There was music, there was Gayle on a rampage, there was a near-packed stadium. The atmosphere was perfect for the opening game, with every dot ball greeted with a roar reserved for a hard-earned wicket. This was adrenalin cricket and everyone was hooked.

S. Africa begins well

South Africa was 59 for one in six overs. Gibbs (20) and de Villiers (3) were at the crease

SCOREBOARD

West Indies: C. Gayle c Boucher b van der Wath 117, Devon Smith c Boucher b Philander 35, M. Samuels c de Villiers b Pollock 6, S. Chanderpaul c Boucher b van der Wath 11, Dwayne Smith c Gibbs b M. Morkel 1, R. Sarwan c de Villiers b Philander 12, D. Ramdin (not out) 6, D. Bravo (not out) 0, Extras (lb-4, w-12, nb-1) 17; Total(for six wickets, in 20 overs) 205.

Fall of wickets: 1-145, 2-152, 3-178, 4-182, 5-188, 6-204.

South Africa bowling: Pollock 4-0-52-1, Ntini 2-0-19-0, van der Wath 4-0-33-2, M. Morkel 4-0-30-1, Philander 4-0-35-2, A. Morkel 1-0-16-0, Smith 1-0-16-0.

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