How
to answer your harsh critics? Rather than wasting energy via words it’s better
to answer them via solid performances.
Over
the last one year Chris Gayle had been on the centre of all that had been
happening in the West Indies cricket. Chris Gayle’s
remarks on his loath towards Test cricket made the critics more vociferous. His
stubborn attitude towards the West Indies Cricket Board portrayed him as a
selfish person. He was ousted from the West Indies
captaincy but was included for the team’s tour to Sri
Lanka .
On a
bright sunny day at Galle , the West
Indies won the toss and elected to bat on a placid track. From the
word go Chris Gayle’s bat, which looks more like a tooth pick in his hands,
started murdering the Lankan bowlers. It was an absolute carnage!
A
lazy drive touched the ropes; a mistimed shot would meet the fences at ease. The
Sri Lankan bowlers could do nothing to stop Gayle’s brief stay at the crease. He
walloped the spinners well over long-on in signature style and his pull shots
were brutal. He plundered 25 runs in a 7 ball burst to bring up his 13th Test
hundred which was to be his first hundred in the subcontinent.
Gayle’s
celebration on his hundred was an unconventional one: lying down on the mid-pitch
for a moment to soak himself up with all the praises by his team mates and the
crowd. After the celebration the Gayle juggernaut continued.
Chris
Gayle’s unorthodox magnificence was at its best. There were more pulls along
the midwicket, more savage cuts and plenty of brutal drives and thus, marched
towards his double ton which included amazing 26 fours and 8 plundering sixes,
the most by a West Indian batsman in a Test innings. The celebrations were more
muted this time, with a wry smile and the raising of the bat sufficing.
On
the second day, Gayle continued with his incredible batting and which broke
plenty of records. First to go was the stadium’s top score. Mahela Jayawardene’s
237 run was eclipsed, Rohan Kanhai’s 256 which was the highest by a West Indian
in the subcontinent, had been surpassed after the lunch and after tea Younis
Khan’s 313 to make the highest score by any batsman against Sri Lanka and he
surpassed his own highest score of 317.
Chris
Gayle brought up his triple ton after the tea and celebrated by kneeling with
his arms aloft and with this triple ton Chris Gayle etched his name in the
history when he became just the fourth batsman after Don Bradman, Brian Lara
and Virender Sehwag to score a 300 plus runs.
Gayle’s
magnificent form put Brian Lara’s 400 under threat and Lara might wake up in
the morning to find out his record being broken by this tall lanky Jamaican
beast. But Ajanta Mendis’ inspired spell brought an end to Gayle’s powerful
knock of 333. He hit 35 fours and 9 sixes.
He
might say that he disliked Test cricket but his brief stay at the crease never
gave anyone the impression of Gayle’s abhorrence towards Test cricket. He was
such a treat to watch. One might say about the placid nature of the track which
aided Gayle a lot. But to score a triple ton it requires enormous amount hunger
for runs with a rock solid Test-cricket-temperament. Chris
Gayle has proved himself wrong. He loves Test cricket.
Thank
You
Faisal
Caesar
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