Chris Gayle was once again in the headlines as he helped Team Abu Dhabi post a big total and register a convincing win in the second match of the T10 league. Just a day after Gayle posted on his Twitter “I Ain't Leaving…”, the hard-hitting batter scored an unbeaten 49 in just 23 balls including two fours and five sixes. Ireland's Paul Stirling was on song to as he scored 59 runs to set the tone for Team Abu Dhabi as they posted a big total of 145/4 on the board.
The duo of Gayle and Stirling was formidable as the shared a 97-run partnership for fourth wicket.
In reply, the Bengal Tigers could only manage to score 105 from their 10 overs. Gayle who was batting at four stepped out to bat in third over as there were some early setbacks for the home team including Philip Salt’s run out and skipper Liam Livingstone getting bowled by veteran James Faulkner.
With five sixes in his innings the Jamaican was in full swing alongside Stirling. Altogether 13 sixes were hit in the innings, 10 of which came from the pair of Gayle and Stirling. Scoring at a strike rate of 213, the home side was in more than commanding possession. The 42-year-old was slightly unfortunate to have missed out on a fifty as he ended up 49 not out.
It was a hard pill to swallow for Bengal Tigers but they were never in the game chasing a target of 146. Now that Gayle has made a statement with the bat, it remains to be seen whether he will be batting at no.4 or get promoted up the order.
