WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2015

Gayle’s record double ton flattens

CANBERRA: smashed the highest ever individual World Cup score of 215 and his first century in 20 months as the West Indies flat- tened Zimbabwe on a record-shattering day in Canberra yesterday. The Caribbean entertainers amassed 372 for two after winning the toss and then Zimbabwe out for 289 chasing a revised 363 to win the rain-reduced match by 73 runs at Manuka Oval. Man-of-the-match Gayle, 35, clubbed a record-equalling 16 sixes including three in a row, to cash in after a huge let-off on the first ball he faced and was eventually out off the final SCOREBOARD ball of the innings. Gayle also eclipsed his previous highest one- CANBERRA: Scoreboard in the World Cup Pool B match between the West Indies and day international knock of 153 against Zimbabwe at Manuka Oval in Canberra yesterday: Zimbabwe in 2003. Records tumbled as Gayle, West Indies S. Williams c Smith b Holder 76 who also went past 9,000 ODI runs, bettered D. Smith b Panyangara 0 C. Ervine b Gayle 52 South African Gary Kirsten’s previous highest C. Gayle c Chigumbura b Mazakadza 215 S. Matsikenyeri lbw b Gayle 19 World Cup score of 188 not out against the UAE M. Samuels not out 133 E. Chigumbura c Gayle b Taylor 21 in Rawalpindi in 1996. Extras (b1, lb2, w16, nb5) 24 T. Panyangara c Ramdin b Taylor 4 Only India’s Rohit Sharma with 264 and Total (2 , 50 overs) 372 T. Chatara b Miller 16 Virender Sehwag (219) have scored more runs Did not bat: J Carter, D Ramdin, L Simmons, D T. Kamungozi not out 6 than the explosive West Indian left-hander in an Sammy, A Russell, J Holder, J Extras (lb9, w14, nb2) 25 ODI innings. Gayle’s 372-run with Taylor, N Miller Total (all out; 44.3 overs) 289 (133 not out) was also an all- Fall of wickets: 1-0 (Smith), 2-372 (Gayle) time ODI record. : Panyangara 9-0-82-1 (2nb, 4w); Fall of wickets: 1-11 (Chakabva), 2-26 The 35-year-old Gayle’s double-century came Chatara 9.4-0-74-0 (2nb); Williams 5-0-48-0 (Masakadza), 3-46 (Raza), 4-126 (Taylor), 5-177 off just 138 balls and this innings was his first (1w); Chigumbura 7-0-44-0 (1nb, 6w); Raza 10- (Williams), 6-226 (Ervine), 7-239 three-figure score since he made 109 against Sri 1-45-0 (4w); Kamungozi 3-0-37-0; Masakadza (Matsikenyeri), 8-254 (Panyangara), 9-266 Lanka at his Sabina Park home ground Kingston 6.2-0-39-1. (Chigumbura), 10-289 (Chatara) in June 2013. “It’s been a lot of pressure, the runs Bowling: Taylor 10-0-38-3 (5w); Holder 7-0-48- haven’t been coming and this is the first time Zimbabwe (target: 363 runs from 48 overs) 3 (1w); Miller 6.3-0-48-1 (2w); Samuels 9-0-59- ever in my career,” said Gayle during the mid- c Simmons b Holder 26 1; Russell 5-0-44-0 (2nb, 2w); Sammy 1-0-8-0; innings break. “So many people wanted me to R. Chakabva lbw b Holder 2 Gayle 6-0-35-2 (2w). score runs and the messages kept coming in on H. Masakadza lbw b Taylor 5 Result: West Indies won by 73 runs (D/L B. Taylor c Ramdin b Samuels 37 method). Twitter and in the end I am glad to have given them something to actually cheer about,” he added after his 22nd century in 226 ODIs. Gayle turned around the West Indies innings with World Cup result and standings Samuels after the second-ball dismissal of fellow opener . Pool B Samuels inninins was comparatively more At Canberra sedate compared to Gayle’s whirlwind knock, West Indies 372-2 (Chris Gayle 215, Marlon Samuels 133 not out) v Zimbabwe 289 all out his 133 not out coming off 156 balls with 11 (Sean Williams 76, 52) fours and three sixes. West Indies won by 73 runs (D/L method) But it could have all been different had Gayle Played won lost tied N/R points run rate Pool A not survived a very contentious review in his New Zealand 3 3 0 0 0 6 +3.586 favour off the first ball he faced. Tinashe Australia 2 1 0 0 1 3 +2.220 Panyangara had a tremendous opening over, Bangladesh 2 1 0 0 1 3 +2.100 bowling Smith second ball and then looking Sri Lanka 2 1 1 0 0 2 -0.861 most unlucky not to get Gayle out leg before England 3 1 2 0 0 2 -1.415 with his fourth after a review. Afghanistan 2 0 2 0 0 0 -1.175 Replays showed the ball hitting Gayle’s pads and Scotland 2 0 2 0 0 0 -2.740 CANBERRA: West Indies batsman Chris Gayle celebrates after scoring a double century during he was initially given not out by umpire Steve their World Cup Pool B match against Zimbabwe. — AP Davis, only for Zimbabwe to seek a referral. Pool B India 2 2 0 0 0 4 +2.060 The TV umpire ruled umpire’s call, adjudicat- embarrassing Twitter gaffe committed by West Indies were 73 for one. Gayle was caught by West Indies 3 2 1 0 0 4 +1.339 ing the ball was going over the stumps, but Indies Cricket Board (WICB) president Dave Raza off a no-ball by Panyangara on 121 in the Ireland 1 1 0 0 0 2 +0.618 Gayle looked fortunate to still be at the crease. Cameron who retweeted a post from a spectator 39th over as things continued to go his way. South Africa 2 1 1 0 0 2 -0.680 “It was scary the first ball, it was like ‘come on, calling for the batsman to be pensioned off. But off the last ball of the innings, Gayle was Zimbabwe 3 1 2 0 0 2 -0.827 you’re not serious, you can’t be out first ball,’” Gayle’s knock was only the fifth double centu- out after he skied a catch to Zimbabwe skipper UAE 1 0 1 0 0 0 -0.258 Gayle said. “I needed a chance and I got a break ry in all ODIs and the first by a non-Indian, with . In total, he faced 147 balls 2 0 2 0 0 0 -2.260 and I made best use of it. Sharma having gone past 200 on two occasions. with 10 fours and 16 sixes. “I was under pressure to score runs, and I kept “I am very happy to get this first double hun- Zimbabwe never looked like getting near the getting messages from Twitter and on my cell dred and ever since Rohit got two, I have been huge West Indian target, reduced by a rain break phone from fans. I have never known so many hounded to get one as well,” said Gayle. to 363 off 48 overs, with Sean Williams top-scor- people wanting Chris Gayle to do so well.” Samuels also had a life on 27 when he was ing with 76 off 61 balls and and Gayle’s record-shattering innings came just put down by at backward point taking three wickets each and days after he was inadvertently caught up in an off Sikandar Raza just before drinks and the West Gayle claiming two wickets. — AFP Gayle, the rebel with many causes

SYDNEY: He’s the rebel with plenty of causes, mer kings of the sport have often been reduced of a central contract with speculation that with most of which have put him at loggerheads with to a supporting role. But his roller-coaster rela- his patience for waning, the hard-hit- West Indies officialdom, but no-one can deny tionship with the WICB has threatened his lega- ting batsman may call time on his international that Chris Gayle is cricket box-office, a globe- cy. On the eve of the World Cup, he accused the career. Not that he’ll be without offers of trotting superstar with a bat for hire. ruling body of victimization for dropping employment after his market value shot up on a The 35-year-old Jamaican left-hander and Kieran Pollard from the dank, cloudy afternoon at Canberra’s Manuka smashed the highest individual World Cup score squad as punishment for their role in last Oval on Tuesday. His CV already lists 13 teams- of 215 on Tuesday, equalling the number of sixes October’s abandoned tour of India, a controver- West Indies, Barisal Burners, Dhaka Gladiators, in a one-day international innings with 16 and sial gesture which landed the WICB with a bill for ICC World XI, , , playing the alpha-male role in a record ODI part- $42 million in compensation. , Matabeleland Tuskers, nership of 372 with Marlon Samuels. Gayle, as a result, has been summoned to Royal Challengers Bangalore, Stanford His innings came just days after West Indies appear before a disciplinary commission to Superstars, Sydney Thunder, Western Australia Cricket Board (WICB) president Dave Cameroon explain his outburst. Being carpeted is nothing and Worcestershire. embarrassingly retweeted a fan’s call for the new for Gayle, the reggae-loving, fast-car driv- Gayle is hot-wired for Twenty20 cricket-he hit mercurial batsman to be pensioned off after ing, unofficial trade unionist for the squad. Back the first century in Twenty20 internationals another flop at the wicket. in 2009, he was one of the leading figures in the against South Africa in the World Twenty20 in “I was under pressure to score runs, and I kept decision to boycott a home series against 2007 and at the 2013 he getting messages from Twitter and on my cell Bangladesh, with all senior players refusing to smashed 175. But his 103 Tests have also proved phone from fans. I have never known so many take part in the Tests and one-dayers in a famil- fruitful since his 2000 debut. Against Sri Lanka at people wanting Chris Gayle to do so well,” Gayle iar row over money. Six years on, Gayle is still in Galle in 2010, he batted almost ten hours and said. Gayle is and has been one of his team’s few combative mood and on the eve of the team’s scored 333 to become the only the fourth bats- genuine match-winners in an era when the for- departure for the World Cup he refused the offer man to score two triples in Test cricket. — AFP Bangladesh deny bookie links

MELBOURNE: Bangladesh yesterday rubbished Afghanistan. Hossain apparently admitted ately,” the paper wrote. media reports back home that seamer Al-Amin knowing an unnamed Indian bookmaker The paper quoted team manager Khaled Hossain had been kicked out of the World Cup for whom he had met in Chennai, where he had Mahmud as saying that Hossain had confessed reportedly confessing to meeting an illegal gone to have his bowling action tested last to his misdemeanor, but did not elaborate. Indian bookmaker. The official statement issued year, but the ACSU did not bring any charges “He confessed everything to me,” Mahmud on Sunday by the team management had said against him. told the paper. “If he was simply breaking team Hossain, 25, was being sent home for breaking However, when the seamer broke curfew rules he might have got away with a fine. But curfew rules ahead of Bangladesh’s washed-out rules and went out late at night in Brisbane, the this was a more serious issue, so we had no oth- AUSTRALIA: West Indies Chris Gayle (center) stands between Zimbabwe’s Elton match against Australia in Brisbane last weekend. team management decided to punish him and er choice but to send him back.” Chigumbura (right) and Tinashe Panyangara (left) during the 2015 But the Dhaka-based English language ‘New send him packing from the World Cup. The ACSU does not comment on its day-to- Pool B match. — AFP Age’ newspaper and other media said Hossain The ‘New Age’ quoted an unnamed official as day operations. Bangladesh’s bowling coach had been under observation by the saying that Hossain gave three different ver- Heath Streak insisted Hossain will not be First ever World Cup 200 International Cricket Council’s Anti-Corruption sions regarding his late-night outing when missed because his replacement Shafiul Islam and Security Unit (ACSU) for some time. questioned by team management. was an “experienced campaigner” However, the (BCB)’s “He first claimed that he went to buy a SIM “We are obviously disappointed and sad to CANBERRA: West Indies opener Chris Gayle His tally of sixes equalled the record for the became the first batsman to score a World Cup most in an ODI innings held jointly by South head of media, Jalal Yunus, insisted the only card, which raised more suspicion as the player see a fellow team-mate go, but it won’t affect us double century when he made 215 against Africa’s AB de Villiers and India’s Rohit Sharma. charge of indiscipline against Hossain was stay- had already one with him,” the paper said. “Al- too much,” the former Zimbabwe fast bowler Zimbabwe in a Pool B clash in Canberra yester- Gayle’s innings was also only the fifth double ing out late at night and had nothing to do with Amin then claimed that he went to a nightclub and said. day. Gayle, who might have been given out lbw century in all one-day international cricket and any alleged corruption. but BCB officials were not ready to accept this “Shafiul coming in is good because he is a before he had scored, brought up his first dou- the first by a non-Indian, with Sharma (two), “The ACSU has told us they have nothing story either because they found it hard to very experienced campaigner and has been ble century in 226 one-day internationals off Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag the only against Hossain, but we took action because we believe that he will visit a nightclub alone in part of the dressing room for a long time.” just 138 balls including nine fours and 16 sixes. other batsmen to achieve the feat. have a no-tolerance policy for not obeying bad weather. Teams can only usually bring in replace- The 35-year-old Jamaica left-hander’s Gayle and Marlon Samuels, who scored 133 team orders,” Yunus told AFP. “There is no truth “The question that spurred them most was ments at a World Cup for injured players, but innings of 215 surpassed the previous World not out himself, also set a new partnership in reports that he was sent home because of why he had walked back to the hotel instead of the ICC said Bangladesh’s request to call-up Cup best of 188 not out by South Africa’s Gary record for any ODI wicket. Their unbroken stand alleged links with bookies.” taking a taxi and the player had no answer to Shafiul had been approved as an “exceptional Kirsten against the United Arab Emirates at of 371 surpassed the 331 shared by India’s Rahul Media reports said the ACSU had already that. “In the face of repeated questioning he circumstance”. Bangladesh, who beat Rawalpindi in 1996. Dravid and Tendulkar against New Zealand at spoken to Hossain a few days earlier in finally confessed that he went to meet a bookie Afghanistan in their Pool A opener, continue Gayle was eventually off off the last ball of Hyderabad (Deccan) in 1999 and took the West Canberra when the team was in the Australian who dropped him close to the hotel and the their World Cup campaign against Sri Lanka in the innings, having faced 147 balls, with 10 fours Indies to a huge total of 372 for two at capital for their opening match against decision to send him back was taken immedi- tomorrow. —AFP and 16 sixes with his team on 372-2. Canberra’s Manuka Oval. — AFP