If there were any doubts that Christopher Henry Gayle is indeed the boss of T20 cricket, those doubts would have been dispelled Saturday night at the National Stadium at Providence.
It is not that Gayle has not proven himself to be the `King’ of T20 cricket time and time again, it was just that he gave another display of why he is the most sought after T20 gun for hire when he scored a marauding 48-ball 101 to help set up an easy win for the Legacy All-Stars side which brushed aside the 007 Warriors by seven wickets in the evening’s Unity T20 match played under lights.
The 36-year-old Jamaican ensured his maiden three figure score at Providence was a memorable one and even though he retired hurt after reaching three figures, he ensured that the crowd of cricket lovers on hand was fully satiated.
Gayle smoked 11 sixes and four fours in an innings which sent the sold out crowd into a frenzy as his team reached 180-2 in 16.2 overs in their
pursuit of 177.
Skipper Ramnaresh Sarwan rolled back the years with a stylish 24 while all-rounder Dwayne Bravo also entertained the fans with his flair and enthusiasm during his unbeaten 24.
Earlier, the Warriors had reached 177-8 in their 20 overs after batting first. They were indebted to West Indies opener Lendl Simmons who struck a classy 52 off 40 balls with five fours and two sixes.
Support came from national player Robin Bacchus who crunched five fours in his 22-ball 32 while left-arm Veerasammy Permaul showed his versatility and skill with the bat by scoring a brisk 24 off 12 balls.
Bowling for the Legacy Stars, former national U19 batsman Gajanand Singh picked up 4-25 including the wickets of West Indies T20 skipper Darren Sammy (13), West Indies Test/ODI Skipper Jason Holder (12), Assad Fudadin (00) and Simmons.
All-rounders Bravo (2-23) and Romario Shepherd (2-36) were the other successful bowlers.
Gayle Show
In their turn at the crease, Gayle and his opening partner Andre Fletcher (18) both got off the mark with boundaries while the world ranked T20 spinner Samuel Badree, was greeted with a six back over his head by Gayle who looked dangerous from get go.
Badree made up for his loose first over by removing Fletcher who was caught by Gudakesh Motie, the dismissal bringing Legacy skipper Sarwan to the middle to partner his old West Indies teammate Gayle with the score 50-1.
Sammy’s medium-pace was sailed into the stands for a six off a front-foot no-ball by Gayle who carved the free hit ball for another six to take the score to 70-1 off seven overs.
The self-proclaimed “Cricket World Boss” got to his effortless 50 off 34 balls with a lofted drive for four off Permaul. He then launched into Motie, hammering back-to-back sixes off the Guyana Jaguars
left-arm spinner as the Legacy team found themselves well past the 100-run mark. The star of the Unity match saved his best trick for last when he clobbered the number two ranked T20 spinner in the World Badree for five sixes in one over to bring up his hundred, before retiring shortly as he walked off to a standing ovation.
Warriors innings
Discarded West Indies opener Dwayne Smith (05) had earlier put the first four runs on the board with a typical punch through the covers off Bravo when the 0007 Warriors innings got underway.
However, the all-rounder made amends a few balls later when he had the other opener Shemroy Barrington caught at backward square off a lethargic hook shot for a duck.
The score slipped from 5-1 to 14-2 after Shepherd knocked over Smith with a good swinging delivery. The left-hander Bacchus then cracked back-to-back boundaries off Shepherd as the 007 XI sought to rebuild after the early losses. The left-hander continued to attack, this time taking a liking to left-arm spinner Sulieman Benn who he also hit for consecutive boundaries.
Guyana-born Narsingh Deonarine’s first over went for 19 runs as Simmons greeted him with a huge six over the long-on, followed by a slap through covers for four and finally a huge thump over the long-off for six as the 007 Warriors, despite their shaky start, raced to 67 off seven overs.
Simmons’s 50 took just 38 balls and he got there with a vicious square-cut off Shepherd which also brought up the team’s 100. The quicks helped to pull things back for the Legacy side as first Simmons
attempted another booming shot soon after reaching his 50 but held out to Benn at deep long-on while Bacchus was also out caught off Shepherd.
Sammy (12), smacked a few fours but Singh, who removed Simmons, picked up another big wicket when the West Indies T20 skipper was caught in the deep by Nedd. Singh’s golden-arm was again responsible for another pair of wickets, this time Holder (13) who was stumped by wicketkeeper Nicholas Pooran and Fudadin who made a golden duck.
Guyana Jaguars wicket-keeper/batsman Anthony Bramble (13) had his stumps disturbed by Bravo but Permaul’s cameo at the back end of the innings helped the proper the Warriors to their target.
