175*

hi there

OK, yes. i agree. this 20-20 / Twenty-20 or however you write it is not "proper cricket". the format, however, is huge fun for crowds and indeed the players seem to really rather enjoy letting loose a bit with the game. it might not be the genuine article in the realm of cricket, then, but it is fun and enjoyable all the same. the IPL puts the emphasis on fun, and allows players to earn a silly sized pile of money. no bad thing at all, really, barring the Kevin Pietersen debacle of course.

today seems to have seen something truly spectacular in the IPL. i didn't see it as it was the early game, but i have seen the stats. and now, with great thanks indeed to Sky Sports, you can see the stats.

behold the figures of Mr Chris Gayle.

blimey! carrying your bat in any innings is spectacular, let alone the 20-20 version of the game in which wickets, to borrow from our Aussie friends, really do tend to drop like flies. to put those kind of runs up is quite another matter. 175 off 66 balls!

as for where all them runs came from, well, here's the bowling card. not pleasant reading at all except for 2 of the bowlers (Kumar and Wright), although in fairness Dinda took two wickets when not throwing runs at the batsmen.

Pune Warriors didn't quite have anyone in a mood to belt with the business end of a bat like Mr Gayle did. they scored 133 in total, which i think you will find is, Douglas Adams fans take note, 42 less than Mr Gayle hit all by himself.

remarkable stuff! one can only wonder what kind of scores would have been possible if a fellow West Indian of Mr Gayle, a certain Mr B Lara, had ever been tempted to join the IPL......



be excellent to each other!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!