Apart from one coruscating innings of 100* in their group stage match against England, West Indies batsman Chris Gayle had a rather quiet T20 World Cup. After battering England that first game he made another three trips to the crease, but managed only an additional 13 runs. And as concerning as his relative lack of consistency was, the manner of his dismissals was of even more import.
Facing a huge total in their semi-final match against India, much of the West Indies’ hopes rested with him. Or so we all thought. Until, that is, Jasprit Bumrah swung a full delivery that struck his offstump. That meant that Chris Gayle was bowled for five and the West Indies had to get to India’s score without the help of “The Six Machine,” which is the title of the left-handers soon to be released memoir.
It was also a swinging delivery from Khagiso Rabada during an earlier encounter with South Africa that ended Gayle’s stay in the middle. Again his off stump was hit very early, and while most batsmen struggle in the minutes after marking their guard, Gayle appears to be especially vulnerable in that period.
In the finals against England he fell early as well. This time, however, it was the occasional off-spin of Joe Root, caught at long-off trying to clear the boundary ropes.
It was a surprise and inspired move by England’s captain that paid off handsomely with Root grabbing two wickets in his first over. Much more often it is pace and swing that Gayle has to contend with at the start of his innings.
His Indian Premier league (IPL) team, Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), is not really getting much from him this season either. In three innings he has totaled a mere eight runs. And in two of those innings he was undone, again, by swing. The highly skilled Bhuvneshwar Kumar touched his stumps with a delivery swinging from leg, while Zaheer Khan got him feeling for a teasing outswinger.
Impossibly, bearing in mind he can be the T20 game’s most destructive force, he was dropped for a few games. So far-fetched was the thought of dropping a fit Chris
Gayle that everyone assumed he was injured or rested. “He wasn’t rested, “explained captain Virat Kohli at the press conference following the game. “We chose Travis Head in place of him because we felt that we needed more solidity in the middle.”
Brought back into the side he failed twice before getting 49 from 31 balls against the Kolkata Knight Riders and then a rambunctious 73 off 32 balls against Kings XI Punjab. Putting aside the fact that neither opponent possessed swing bowlers of renown, Gayle being back in the runs is a startling reminder of his quality. We all
knew it was only a matter of time before he struck form. The need, as Kohli suggested, is for regular contributions.
Long accused of reluctant footwork and a less than stellar defense, Gayle has, at times, fallen afoul of the swinging new ball early in his innings. This might not be relevant today but some time ago Sri Lankan pacer Chaminda Vaas, light of pace but guileful of swing, was a consistent thorn in the openers side, dismissing him time after time.
Like every exceptional batsman there are times when he begins an innings in fourth gear, times when he appears to have played himself in from dressing room and is ready to go by the time he hits the middle. Like every batsman, however, he often needs a moment and at least a few deliveries to adjust.
Surviving the early hardships means he will, in many instances, bring his exceptional natural gifts to bear on the proceedings. Opposition bowlers will then have to strain every sinew, try every trick, to get him out and to stop him from scoring.
Chris Gayle at the crease, warm and attuned to conditions, spells danger for the bowling side. Give him 50 balls in a T20 game and a century or so will be next to his name on the scoreboard. And so in order to get the maximum benefit from the games most feared and destructive batsman, his team should consider ways to get him over the early hump.
Given that swing extracted from the new ball often makes that hump higher, the idea of keeping the big left-hander away from the new ball is worth considering. And since reports suggest that the white balls propensity for swing normally lasts only for a few overs, removing the Jamaican from the opening position might be helpful.
Now, the argument that teams should try to make its best player to face the most deliveries is a valid one. But so too is the argument for arranging the batting order to maximize the effectiveness of its batting resources. And so finding a way to extend the stay at the crease for your most explosive batsman is the preferred way.
For whatever team he’s representing that could mean getting Gayle in at a time when he is more likely to survive, while also ensuring there are enough deliveries available for him to inflict serious, even fatal damage on the opposition. Ideally, his side should want him to face no fewer than 45 deliveries say, and so getting him in no later than the sixth or seventh over, even if it deprives him of the power-play overs, would be appropriate. Naturally, if the opening batsmen are smashing it everywhere then there is no issue, and the team and fans would be delighted knowing that a batsman of Gayle’s capabilities is still to come.
For sure, not everyone will agree with this line of thinking. Lawrence Rowe is one of the most technically proficient batsmen to come out of the West Indies. Found mostly at number three for Jamaica and the West Indies in the seventies and early eighties, some of his best work was done opening the batting. Still very close to the game he is always generous with his time and never reluctant to offer his observations.
When it was suggested that it might be advisable for the Big Man to move down a place in the batting order he disagreed. The former batting stylist acknowledged that the case for shifting him was reasonable, but Gayle, he felt, should remain precisely at the position he has always occupied.
“All of his success has come at the top of the order,” Rowe said, “so he should be kept there.” Rowe went on, “Having him at the top is an asset, provoking fear in the opposition and giving a psychological advantage to the West Indies.” Rowe even thinks that there may even be some benefit to be had when Gayle fails. Opponents are likely to feel so elated, so relieved upon capturing his wicket early, he felt, that it could lead to some degree of complacency.
That may be a possibility for certain, though professional outfits should know better than that. There are sound arguments on both sides if the equation. The one proffered most frequently — the one that Rowe also gave — is that since Gayle has done well opening there is no compelling reason to move him.
But what if he could do even better sliding a little way down the order? This is not to question Gayle’s capacity as an opener. The records show he is probably the best opener the T20 game has seen. This is about making maximum use of his preternatural capabilities as a batting juggernaut.
This June Gayle is scheduled to appear for Somerset in the twenty20 Blast competition. With early swing probably more a factor in England than elsewhere, the Somerset captain and coach might want to consider the possibility that Gayle, despite doing well last time, might serve them better batting at Numbers three or four. That is, of course, if the powerfully built batsman is not averse to vacating his usual position. If he’s willing then it might just be worth a shot.
