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Lara and Gayle blast 'em

Sunday, November 23 2003

Chris Gayle had a tremendous game as he combined with Brian Lara and the rain to help West Indies to a 51-run victory over Zimbabwe in the first ODI of the five-game series. Before the start of play, Lara won the toss and elected to bat in perfect batting conditions on a grassless pitch.

Hinds and Gayle walked out to the middle with hopes of getting the tourists off to a good start. After surviving some good bowling from Blignaut and Streak early on, the two Jamaicans began to chase that start. Gayle in particular played his shots, giving his first significant contribution on tour to date. At the other end Hinds (28) supported adequately and the two added 77 before he flashed at the wide ball from Blignaut to be caught behind.

With the fall of the first wicket, the West Indies captain, fresh off his Man of the Match performance in the second Test, strode to the crease. Lara started carefully as he and Gayle looked to bat for as long as possible. However, it was not long before the two were well into strokeplay. Gayle reached his 50 off 76 balls with 10 fours, but it was Lara who stole the show in the 176-run partnership between the two.

Streak seemed helpless to slow him down as every bowling change which he made was disregarded with masterful strokeplay. The first signs of Lara's emergence came when he charged down the track to Ray Price and smashed the ball out of the ground. He followed this up with another massive six in the same area off the next delivery and Lara had arrived. With brutal power and sublime placement, Lara dominated the Zimbabwean attack as well as any player has. His first fifty came off 54 balls and after dramatic acceleration, the second was scored off only 23 deliveries. It started to appear as though the Zimbabwe bowlers just would not get him out, when a direct hit from Craig Wishart ended his innings.

Brian Lara was run out for 113 off a mere 82 balls, in which time he struck 14 fours and 3 massive sixes. The delivery immediately following his dismissal saw a strange turn of events as Gayle guided a ball to third man and took off for a single. Sarwan, at the striker's end saw the return from the fielder go over Taibu's head and decided to attempt a second run, but ultimately he was run out without facing a delivery - 253/3.

Chanderpaul (8) and Samuels (6) came and went, the former to contemptuous decision (his fourth in five innings) as the innings slipped to 289/5. However, in this time Gayle had taken it upon himself to rise from the shadow of Lara's entertainment to provide some of his own . Powell smashed a couple of fours and a six before he holed out to Sibanda at long on, but the momentum did not fade.

Gayle imposed himself upon Blignaut, returning for the 47th over of the innings, as he took 4 fours and a huge straight six for a total of 19 runs off his six deliveries. When Ervine returned for the final over of the innings, Gayle stood just 9 runs short of his ODI career best score. He quickly dispatched two boundaries and a single to reach 150, facing a total of 158 balls and hitting 19 fours and 2 sixes. Gayle ended the innings unbeaten on 153 - his highest ODI innings and his sixth century. At the other end, Carlton Baugh Jr. finished not out on 3 as the West Indian effort closed at an imposing 347/6.

For Zimbabwe, no bowler really stood out. Streak (1/52) and Ray Price (0/52) were the most economical, but Ervine (0/75 off 7 overs), Matsikenyeri (1/31 off 3 overs) and Blignaut (1/57 off 8 overs) neutralized the effort.

Upon resumption, debutant Vusimuzi Sibanda and Trevor Gripper strode to the middle to begin the Zimbabwean run chase. The two managed 22 runs off the first 5 overs, with Gripper looked particularly unwilling to play his shots. At this stage, a glance up to the heavens told Lara that he would have to hurry the innings to the 25-over mark. With this in mind, he introduced spin into the equation in the sixth over, with Samuels coming one. From the other end, Lara activated batting hero Chris Gayle.

Even against the spin, Gripper and Sibanda didn't take too many risks, but when Gripper finally obliged it proved a risk too many. With a straight heave, Gripper hit a Gayle offering straight and flat, but Lara ran around quickly from the edge of the circle at midon and proceeded to intentionally juggle the ball several times before grasping the fine catch - 40/1. Vermeulen took his guard and pushed forward to his first ball looking to drive with and open face. The ball spooned off his edge and into the lap of Chanderpaul where another juggling act occurred -40/2. Now Zimbabwe looked in serious difficulty with 39 over remaining and still another 308 runs needed.

Samuels, Sarwan and Gayle continued to dart through the overs and when the 23rd had been completed, Lara finally tossed the ball to debutant Ravi Rampaul for the first time. It would be a mixed start for the young man as his second delivery, short, was smashed away to the boundary and the next ball went to the fence as overthrows. Rampaul continued to bowl rather too short and ended up going for 38 runs in his 4-over stint.

By this point Sibanda and Wishart had contented themselves in attacking the unsettled West Indian pace attack in the midst of a partnership of 110 runs. Sibanda reached his half-century off 87 balls and Wishart followed soon after, taking 65 balls for his milestone. The weather continued to look ominous as dark clouds suffocated the blue and Drakes provided the last breakthrough for the West Indies, when Sibanda slogged a ball to Powell for 58 - 150/3 at that stage. When the rains finally came, the innings stood at 173/3 where it was ultimately announced closed. The result was then awarded to the West Indies by a 51-run margin.

Craig Wishart batted aggressively for his unbeaten 72 off only 80 balls and at the time of stoppage, Blignaut had moved to 10. Had the rains not come and a full 50 overs been enabled, Zimbabwe would have needed a further 175 runs from the remaining 15.1 overs (91 balls) to win. Chris Gayle proved the pick of the West Indian bowlers with 2/21 coming from his 10-over allotment. Predictably, he was named the Man of the Match.

Match Summary

West Indies 347/6 (50 overs)
(Chris Gayle 153 not out [160], Brian Lara 113 [82], Wavell Hinds 28 [42])
(Stuart Matsikenyeri 1/31 [3], Heath Streak 1/52 [10], Andy Blignaut 1/57 [8])

Zimbabwe 173/3 (34.5 overs)
(Craig Wishart 72 not out [80], Vusimuzi Sibanda 58 [100], Trevor Gripper 16 [22])
(Chris Gayle 2/21 [10], Vasbert Drakes 1/15 [4])

Result: West Indies won by 51 runs (D/L method)
Series: 1-0 (WI)
Man of the Match: Chris Gayle (WI)

The second ODI will be played at Bulawayo, starting at 9:30 am tomorrow.

Posted by Liam