Gayle slams ton in Zimbabwe
Royal Challengers Bangalore batsman Chris Gayle slammed 109* off 59 balls for the Matabeleland Tuskers against the Mid West Rhinos in the Stanbic Bank 20 Series being played in Zimbabwe.
Gayle’s 58 ball ton didn’t however help the Tuskers win the match as the Rhinos chased down the target of 172 in 19.3 overs for the loss of just 3 wickets thanks to major contributions from Zimbabwean skipper Brendan Taylor (75* off 54) and Gary Ballance (67 off 34).
Chris Gayle's knock included seven 4s and eight 6s, he brought up his ton off just 58 balls and slammed a six off the next ball to end on 109* off 59 balls. The lack of support from the other end however proved costly for the Tuskers. Gayle’s opening partner Tom Smith was dismissed before he could get his eye in for just 2 runs in 6 balls. The no. 3 Paul Horton plodded to 47* off 58 balls while Gayle launched his offensive at the other end, Tuskers posting just 171/1 in their 20 overs.
Gayle ironically undid his good work with the bat with his bowling, conceding 47 runs off his 3.3 overs even as the rest of the bowlers did a decent job of defending the total.
This is Gayle’s second T20 ton in a losing cause, the first one, a 117 off 57 balls came against South Africa in the first match of the 2007 ICC World Twenty20. A belligerent Herschelle Gibbs innings had helped South Africa chase down the massive 206 run target that WI had set them then, the Rhinos had a relatively easier target to chase yesterday.
The star attraction of Zimbabwe’s fledgling T20 tournament which also boasts of names such as Shaun Tait, Ryan Ten Doeschate, Peter Trego, Chris Harris and Dirk Nannes has announced his presence with the bat. It remains to be seen if he can translate those into wins and a title for his team.
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