New shades of Gayle

The first fifteen overs of the West Indies innings, in response to a Sri Lankan 235, were some of the best ODI cricket I had seen in a while. Coolkat Gayle and Wily Vaas. Vaas has had the better of Gayle over the years, sometimes just needing to turn up and roll his arm over to recieve the giftwrapped wicket. Starting the second Test, viewers have seen shades of Gayle that have not been evident previously. Yesterday, the struggle against the Vaasdomination continued, with Gayle prepared to leave almost everything outside off against Vaas, and continue his buccaneering ways against whoever was bowling at the other end. Vaas swung the ball, well into the second powerplay, and Gayle continued to wait, gleefully accepting his luck on the way. Amarasinghe got some stick and Gayle got himself a fifty in what was in the final analysis, a captain's knock. Everyone knows how brittle the WestIndies middle order can be, and Gayle ensured that they recieved a smooth entry.

West Indies are in a position where they have needed their senior players to stand up. In the Tests, is was Sarwan who was prepared for the fight. Gayle did it last night. Of course, the presence of Chanders can only make work easier. Here's to more such spunk from the Raddest F***ing Cricketer Alive - Gayle.