Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Hosts South Africa quashed a tough West Indian challenge by eight wickets as the inaugural Twenty20 world championships rocketed to a brilliant start on Tuesday.
Some 33,000 home fans at the overflowing Wanderers were treated to the thrills and drama associated with the shortest version of the game as both teams put on a dazzling batting display.
Chris Gayle hammered 117 off 57 balls, the first-ever century in Twenty20 cricket, to lift the West Indies to 205-6 after they were sent in to bat by South African captain Graeme Smith.
The hosts made light of the daunting target of 10.3 runs an over as Herschelle Gibbs smashed an unbeaten 90 off 54 balls and Justin Kemp an unbeaten 46 off 23 balls to see South Africa home with 14 d
eliveries to spare.The third-wicket pair put on an incredible 120 runs off just 64 balls with Gibbs lofting Dwayne Bravo to the straight field for the winning boundary.
Gibbs hit 14 boundaries and two sixes and Kemp pounded five fours and two sixes in an enthralling display of power hitting that left the West Indians shell-shocked.
Devon Smith contributed 35 in an opening stand of 145 with Gayle, the highest for the first wicket in Twenty20 cricket surpassing the 132 by South African captain Smith and Loots Bosman against Pakistan earlier this year at the same venue.
The West Indies, who were 178-2 at one stage, lost four wickets in the last four overs to help the South Africans contain precious runs in the end.
Gayle did not look back after cutting the first ball of the tournament from Shaun Pollock for a boundary and then pulled the veteran for a six in his second over.
Star of the match: Chris Gayle (117 runs off 57 balls)
The crowds were bustling, the atmosphere stimulating and it was time for the action to begin in the inaugural ICC World Twenty20. The festivities began in Johannesburg with the first ball bowled by Shaun Pollock smacked to the fence by a batsman who came to the ground with a strict purpose – that of demolishing the bowlers.
Gayle created history by becoming the first batsman in Twenty20 history to score a century. It wasn’t just a century, it was a thumping o
ne! He created a new record for maximum sixes scored in an innings – 10 of them!He was eventually dismissed in the 17th over when an attempted hook off Johan van der Wath went straight up in the air, gifting wicketkeeper Mark Boucher with a catch. The ‘star of the match’ made his way back to the dug-out to a tremendous ovation from the crowd and his teammates.
The highly spirited build-up for the tournament needed an initial spark of this sort to set the tone for the proceedings to follow. Spectators, authorities and even the players couldn’t have dreamt of a better start for the inaugural championship.
Chris Gayle’s innings was so entertaining that even South African supporters couldn’t stop cheering for the Jamaican batsman. It was a real shame, at least from a West Indian perspective that Gayle’s century couldn’t ensure a victory for his team.
Match stats
Runs: 117 Balls: 57 Fours: 7 Sixes: 10
West Indies:
C. Gayle c Boucher b van der Wath 117
Devon Smith c Boucher b Philander 35
M. Samuels c de Villiers b Pollock 6
S. Chanderpaul c Bouchervan der Wath 11
Dwayne Smith c Gibbs b M. Morkel 1
R. Sarwan c de Villiers b Philander 12
D. Ramdin not out 6
D. Bravo not out 0
Extras: (lb4, nb1, w12) 17
Total (for six wickets) 205
Fall of wickets: 1-145 (Devon Smith), 2-152 (Samuels), 178 (Gayle), 4-182 (Dwayne Smith), 5-188 (Chanderpaul), 6-204 (Sarwan)
Bowling: Pollock 4-0-52-1 (w4), Ntini 2-0-19-0, Van der Wath 4-0-33-2, M. Morkel 4-0-30-1 (nb1, w1), Philander 4-0-35-2 (w1), A. Morkel 1-0-16-0 (w2), Smith 1-0-16-0
Overs: 20
South Africa:
G. Smith c Gayle b Rampaul 28
H. Gibbs not out 90
AB de Villiers c Ramdin b Edwards 16
J. Kemp not out 46
Extras: (lb4, nb1, w23) 28
Total (for two wickets) 208
Fall of wickets: 1-54 (Smith), 2-88 (de Villiers)
Bowling: Powell 4-0-34-0 (w4), Rampaul 4-0-52-1 (w1, nb1), Dwayne Smith 2-0-37-0 (w5), Edwards 3-0-22-1 (w4), Bravo 2.4-0-39-0 (w2), Samuels 2-0-20-0
Overs: 17.4
South Africa won by eight wickets
Toss: South Africa
Umpires: Daryl Harper (AUS) and Mark Benson (ENG)
TV umpire: Nigel Llong (ENG)
Match referee: Chris Broad (ENG)
1 Comment:
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September 17, 2007 at 9:48 PM
What a fabulous opening match it was. Jateen i am also crazy behind cricket can you upload more videos? On cricket.
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