Pakistan v West Indies, 1st ODI, Abu Dhabi
25 overs West Indies 151 for 1 (Gayle 92*, Sarwan 18*) v Pakistan
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The venue changed from Antigua to Abu Dhabi, the format from Twenty20 to 50-overs, but what did Chris Gayle care? Having hit a 33-ball half-century in the Stanford 20/20 for 20 earlier this month, Gayle batted like a true millionaire, thumping ten fours and five sixes in an unbeaten innings of 92 that carried West Indies to 151 for 1 after 25 overs. There was a thin crowd at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium to witness Gayle power a 125-run opening stand, the sixth-best for West Indies against Pakistan, but word may get around that something special is brewing in the lazy afternoon sun.
The ball didn't come on initially so Gayle, who'd opted to bat, took matters in hand. After five overs West Indies were 11 for 0; that's when Gayle moved up a gear, stepping outside the line of a delivery from Adbur Rauf and swinging it over midwicket for six.
Rauf opened the attack in the absence of an injured Shoaib Akhtar and after two tidy overs, was taken for six and five fours in eight balls by Gayle. A whip over mid-on was followed by a flick off the pads. Then Rauf pitched outside off stump and craned his neck as Gayle biffed him over his head. Shoaib Malik removed third man and Gayle smartly steered four past the wicketkeeper. Seventeen runs had come in the over.
Sohail Tanvir was cracked past point and West Indies' fifty was up in the tenth over with consecutive pulled sixes in Umar Gul's first over. In five overs, 48 had been scored, and Gayle's half-century needed 36 balls. It was his 38th in all and fifth versus Pakistan.
Seventy-two of Gayle's runs came on the on side. Anything full was clipped over the infield behind square leg, while the shorter deliveries were worked across the line, mostly with hard hands. Rauf's fingertips grazed a back-foot slap back past the umpire, but catching that beast of a shot could have resulted in his requiring urgent medical attention. Rauf walked off having conceded 57 from six overs.
Initially Sewnarine Chattergoon had been a silent bystander on 5 from 29 deliveries. An aerial drive over cover brought him his first boundary yet he was more comfortable dabbing the ball into the gaps. Malik took the second Powerplay straightaway and Chattergoon joined in, flicking and cutting Rauf for further boundaries when he returned. He only played aggressive shots when the ball was short.
Malik accounted for Chattergoon (33), trying to hit against the turn, in his second over, the 20th, but Gayle motored along with a stunning six off Shahid Afridi. The contrasting approach of the two openers worked for West Indies, who are looking at a big score in the 111th clash between these two sides.
