When it comes to batting in Twenty20 and T10, there is no one better than Chris Gayle. There is a reason why he is called the Universe Boss in Twenty20 cricket. The West Indies left-hander is the only player in history to have over 10,000 runs and more centuries than any other player. However, on Wednesday, Chris Gayle showed that the shorter the format the deadlier he becomes. In the game between Maratha Arabians and Team Abu Dhabi in the ongoing T10 tournament, Chris Gayle put on an exhibition of batting that showed he was still the greatest batsman when it comes to the shorter formats of the game.
Maratha Arabians managed to notch up only 97/4 in their 10 overs and it looked like a tricky total to defend. However, Chris Gayle decided to end the match quickly. In the first over bowled by Yamin Ahmadzai, Chris Gayle blasted three fours and a six as 18 runs came off the first over. Sompal Kimi conceded two fours to Paul Stirling and after the batsman hit a single, Chris Gayle was at his monstrous best as he blasted three consecutive sixes, one of which was dropped by Laurie Evans at long-on. When Mosaddek Hossain dismissed Paul Stirling, Chris Gayle's aggression rose as he smashed two fours and two more sixes to reach his fifty off just 12 balls.
This equaled the fastest T20 record in which Yuvraj Singh had hit a fifty in just 12 balls in the match against England that featured six sixes in one over bowled by Stuart Broad. However, the carnage did not end there and Maratha Arabians felt the full wrath of the Gayle-storm.
Win in just 5.3 overs
Chris Gayle hammered two more sixes of Maroof Merchant as he raced to 69 off just 16 balls. In the fifth over, Ishan Malhotra managed to keep Gayle quiet as he conceded just a boundary and one shot was miscued but it landed safely. Fittingly, it was Chris Gayle who ended the innings in style when he launched a one-handed six off Muktar Ali to end with 84 off 22 balls which included six fours and nine sixes. In total, 78 out of his 84 runs came in boundaries.
Team Abu Dhabi is in the fourth spot in Group C and with a total of six teams entering the fray for the knock-outs, Chris Gayle will be determined to ensure Team Abu Dhabi gets into the playoffs and go on to win the T10 title. Team Abu Dhabi takes on Bangla Warriors in their final league game and it will be a must-win for the side.
