West Indian Chris Gayle gave the Bangladesh Premier League Twenty20 tournament a blistering start when he smashed an unbeaten 101 off 44 balls in Barisal Burners’ 10-wicket win over Sylhet Royals in the opening match on Friday.
Gayle flew in on Friday morning for the Burners and regardless of being jet-lagged he ended the match in style and lived up to his name.
‘It was a good fun to get off to a good start. Came in yesterday (Friday), bit jet-lagged and couldn’t get much sleep. Good to get the team off to a winning start. I will sleep like a baby tonight,’ Gayle said.
It was the calypso’s innings that brought the win with nearly seven overs to spare.
Barisal needed five runs to win, so did he to reach the magical figures and that is when he heaved a huge six that landed on the roof of the
stadium, off Nur Hossain. Gayle said he would have taken the chance anyway.
‘I would have taken the chance, regardless. Five runs left and the leg-spinner came on. I knew I had a chance. Glad I didn’t miss out on it,’ said Gayle.
Gayle, whose dispute with the West Indies Cricket Board has kept him out of the national side, is very popular in the Twenty20 circuit for his destructive batting but he says it’s not easy as he has to travel a lot.
‘It’s tough. It might look like just Twenty20, but still a lot of cricket. It includes lots of travelling.
‘I was playing a 4-day game back home. It was my first time in whites in a year and I was happy to get a hit with the red ball as well. I think it gives me a bit of experience playing in the circuit,’ added Gayle.
Gayle has a knack of scoring hundreds in the shorter format and hits the ball with immense power. In spite of his talent, he gives credit to his bat for hitting the ball so far.
‘There’s no mystery. I have got a good bat, and it made the ball go a long way,’ he said while smiling.
-With New Age input
