Christopher Henry Gayle is the first player who will come in a fan’s mind when you talk about T20. The WI player has played across the globe in various leagues and has more than 14,000 runs in this format of the game with 22 centuries. Gayle has been on the international circuit since 1999, and his experience should be of immense use for WI in the T20 WC 2021. In this piece we look at Gayle’s current form, his contribution in West Indies T20 WC triumphs and his stats against the oppositions WI are going to face in this edition.
Current Form
Gayle in T20I has played 16 innings in 2021 has looked a shadow of himself. An average of just 17.46 with a slow strike rate of 117.62, the batter has not been able to convert his chances. In all T20s in this year the batter just averages 21 with a mere strike rate of 128.38. Gayle’s career average balls per six is 9.4 which has increased to 13.1 this year. This is one of the major reasons for the lack of performance. If not for his past laurels and his historical stats, a player with such returns would not have been in the squad for a World Cup. In the 3rd T20I against Australia on 12th July, the batter did score 67 runs off 38 balls and won the match single-handedly with the bat. The ability to do so is one of the most important reasons why you will take a chance on Gayle.
Contribution in West Indies T20 WC Victories
In the 2016 edition, Gayle scored 113 runs in 4 innings at a strike rate of 194.83. The batsman had a century to his name against England in the group match. That edition’s stats was a pure example of what Gayle gives to a team in the last 4-5 years. When he is in full flow he will blow away the opposition and win you the game. In that game against England, chasing 183, Gayle scored 100 runs in 48 balls which brings down the equation to 83 of 72 balls for the remaining batsman.
In the 2012 edition, Gayle was at his best scoring 222 runs in 6 innings at a strike rate of 150. Gayle had three 50’s in the tournament. One of the most important came against Australia in the semi-finals where he was on the pitch for the entire innings but only faced 41 balls. Australia did their best to keep him away from the strike but 41 balls were enough for Gayle to have an impact by scoring 75 runs and helping WI reach 205 balls.
Performance vs Opponents
WI will be playing England, South Africa, Bangladesh, Australia, and one other team. Gayle has a very good record against three of the four teams and WI will hope the batsman adds more value to the stats in the tournament. In terms of career strike rate against the opposition, the top 3 for the batsman are against South Africa, England, and Australia. Gayle has two centuries in T2OIs, one coming against South Africa in the 2007 T20 WC edition and one against England in the 2016 T20 WC edition. Against Bangladesh, the batter has had only three innings, and it’s a very small sample size to have a statical perspective.
Conclusion
There have been talks around the cricketing circle that Gayle is not an automatic choice in the Playing XI due to his poor form and also his fitness levels. The player, if included in the team would try his level best to add to his tally of runs. Gayle is the second-highest run-getter in all the T20 WC’s with 920 runs at a strike rate of 146 and an average of 40. Such returns are tremendous and the batsman needs only 97 runs more to become the highest run-getter in the tournament’s history.
WI are a dangerous side in the tournament and the most successful one too. Gayle may be out of form but you can’t rule out the ‘Universe Boss’. Since the last edition of the T20 WC, the batter only averages 19.47 in 29 matches with one 50 and one 100 to his name. This probably could be his last T20 WC and Gayle would want to end it on a high by winning the trophy.