Dubai: Never write off Chris Gayle. The King of Twenty20 rose from amid the Karachi King players to play a breezy knock of 44 runs from just 17 balls when his team wanted such a knock from him the most. He ensured a six-wicket win over Islamabad United and also booked a place in the play-off stage.
Gayle could not score over 30 runs and his strike rate was below 90 until this knock. Karachi were even forced to drop Gayle in their last match but badly wanted him to deliver in this one. Gayle played in his usual style — hitting five sixes and two fours to bag the man of the match award.
Gayle confessed that he was getting disturbed by the string of low scores in the tournament and now that he has played a quick knock he warned it will happen again.
“I was getting a lot of stick from the fans when I was not performing but I am really happy that I did today. But it was so important that people were shouting Chris Gayle, Chris Gayle and then the stand erupted and everybody was cheering me and that gave me some boost as well and that’s where I got some momentum. I thank the fans for sticking with me. I am glad that I have given them something to cheer and hopefully it will happen again.”
Well known for his humour, Gayle, while answering to a question as to why the Gayle storm was delayed, said: “Probably the weather ... very cold. Didn’t get any sunshine. That’s the reason. I am just kidding. I wasn’t playing much cricket so definitely rusty and was travelling and haven’t been practicing and it showed in the middle. But I am a professional and I am not going to find any excuse. Though I did find time to practice here for the PSL, it takes a bit of time. You definitely take some time to get back into the groove and once you get back into the situation again, things will flow again. Cricket is like that, you always need time to succeed.”
And Gayle is delighted that his countryman Kieron Pollard backed him. “I’m happy when you are backed. He is my fellow Caribbean and he has done wonders in the last game and took us over the line and hopefully he wants to finish more and more game and continue to win the games for us.”
Is Gayle ready to go to Pakistan for the final? “Well if you take me, I will come with you. Invite me, man, and then you may see me.”
