Alex Massie Alex Massie

The Gayle Conundrum

On the one hand you have Jacques Kallis, on the other Chris Gayle. Together they remind one that there are many ways to play the game. And, also, that individual brilliance may manifest itself in ways that do not always help the team as much as quieter, more sustained application might.

That may seem a churlish observation since one has just watched Chris Gayle score 102 off a mere 70 deliveries. And in some ways it is churlish, not least because Gayle’s innings was one of the most thrilling one has seen in years. In terms of deliveries faced it was the fifth fastest century ever; if he could ever bat a full session he might one day score a 100 before lunch. There’s the rub: in 149 innings for the West Indies, Gayle has lasted more than 100 deliveries just 33 times. That’s not ideal for an opener, no matter how great the entertainment he provides.

But what entertainment! Today’s innings was, I like to think, Jessopian in its bravura, ambition and, yes, recklessness. That’s the way Gayle plays and it’s foolish to think he would be able to change his ways even if we wanted him to. (And we don’t.) Which makes his 165* in Adelaide, when he carried his bat, the more remarkable innings. Because there Gayle curbed his instincts and played an innings that proved he has more than one weapon in his armoury. That was probably the best innings of his career even if, no because, it was played against type.

Still, superb as Gayle’s blitzkrieg was in Perth this morning, one cannot but observe that the West Indies were still 380 runs behind when he was dismissed and that, in the grand scheme of the match, the team could have done with him scoring half as quickly and occupying the crease twice as long.

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