The wicket always seems to be impenetrable when bowlers come up against Chris Gayle. It’s near impossible to find a solution against a batsman who has set many records in this format.
Overall he has 17 centuries and 91 sixes to his name. He has 7447 runs from 185 innings at a strike rate of 153.28 since 2011. His aggregate of 7447 is a whopping 3025 better than the next best T20 performer, and his average is five runs ahead of the next best.
However, if we look carefully, there are a few areas where the big West Indian always struggles.
Chris Gayle is not a batsmen like Virender Sehwag or Adam Gilchrist, who strike from ball one. Initially, he tries to adapt to the conditions, and gives utmost respect to the bowlers. This is clearly evident against England, where he concentrates on singles and doubles in the starting period.
You can’t give those luxuries to Gayle in the initial periods. He knows that if he stays long, even the target excess of 200 looks miniature. Against England Moeen Ali was terrific in his first three overs, but in the final over, the English spinner was treated like just another victim.
If you are a bowler who looks to contain Gayle, then you are under serious trouble in the later stages. This is what the inexperienced English bowlers tried to do, rather than to get him out.
Off-spin is a major weapon against Gayle. In the IPL Gayle was ousted by the off-spinners many times. He struggles against a turning ball spinning away from him.
Indian spinners Harbhajan Singh and Ravichandran Ashwin have been successful against Gayle on numerous occasions. The veteran Harbhajan has dismissed Gayle four times in T20s, conceding only 54 from 59 balls. Ashwin has dismissed him three times for 50 off 60 balls.
The Pakistani all-rounder Mohammed Hafeez, who has been banned from bowling in international matches for 12 months, has got him four times for 17 runs in 30 balls.
These spinners just flight the ball in the air and make sure it doesn’t hit the deck, where Gayle is waiting to swing the bat. Many times, they pitch the ball in the good length areas that don’t allow the West Indian to free his arms.
Gayle is not a man who uses his feet much. When he hits the ball, it stays hit. He usually likes the ball to be pitched up, and targets the long-on and long-off regions. Occasionally, when the bowler bowls short, he targets the mid-on and square leg areas.
The off-spinners needs to push the ball in the good length regions, to make him play the cut shorts and lofted drives in the off-side.
Most of the teams looks to operate with the leggies against Gayle. This is the worst option to go against a powerful man like him, who will be waiting to hit the ball turning into him. This is the main reason why the promising Adil Rashid hasn’t been successful against the Caribbean master in Mumbai. His strike rate against left-arm spinners is 243.16 since 2011.
You can’t say the off-spin is the best method to stop the man who has 8826 career runs to his name. But, this is one of the few things that works really well against Gayle.
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