West Indies batsman Chris Gayle leaves the field after being bowled by England's Stuart Broad during the second day of the first Test match between England and West Indies at Lord's cricket ground in London, Thursday, May 7, 2009. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham)
Chris Gayle has received a fair bit of criticism for his comments about Test Cricket. He admitted that he doesn’t like the traditional five-day format, preferring the whizz-bang action of Twenty20s.
Andrew Strauss questioned his commitment when he turned up just two days before the first Test against England at Lords.
It now puts the pressure on the West Indian cricket board. How can they let him play and captain the side when his heart (excuse the pun) is not in it?
Chris Gayle says he doesn’t know how long he wants to keep playing Tests.
Can you imagine if Punter came out and said “Test cricket has nothing on Twenty 20”? I doubt Cricket Australia would be too happy.
Whether he is committed or not, he is a very fine cricketer. There’s few cricketers who can make the game look so easy.
When he bowls, he looks like he’s preparing to send down a loopy half-volley to a five-year-old. But at the last minute he flings his wrist over and sends it down at a fair pace. It’s the same with his batting. He is so still at the crease, and at the last minute he’ll either defend the ball or blast it through or over the field.
He says he is so casual because of his heart problem, and he can’t get too excited because of it.
But surely Twenty20 is the last game you’d want to play if you didn’t want to get the heart racing!
To me saying I prefer Twenty20 cricket as a player is a bit like saying you prefer the American version of The Office to the British original. The remake of cricket lacks the subtlety, that you can experience in the ebb and flow of five day cricket.
Maybe Chris Gayle, just hasn’t experienced a good Test series in his career. He has, after all been part of a team, starved of success. Even their recent win against England in the West Indies contained some drab cricket, until the last day of a couple of Tests.
But it’s his opinion, and he’s entitled to that. We all dislike aspects of our job, and clearly Gayle would prefer a three hour match for his money, than a five-day contest.
I now fear that more players will “come out” of the cricket closet, and admit that Twenty20 is their guilty pleasure.
Up until now Twenty20 has not been taken too seriously by many players. But if more admit their love of the game, how will that affect Test cricket?
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