No mishit when it's Gayle
The definition of sheer power in batting is a batsman who can clear the ropes without much apparent effort going into the bat swing, be it against a pacer or a spinner.
Thus defined, no one in world cricket can match the ability of the West Indian explosive device Chris Gayle when it comes to hitting sixes regardless of the line and length of a delivery. Even his mistimed shots sailed comfortably over the ropes yesterday, indicating the bat speed and the powerful bottom hand employed by the left hander.
The 38-year-old struck a total of 18 sixes for Rangpur Riders in the final of the Bangladesh Premier League against Dhaka Dynamites. The Jamaican remained unbeaten on a 69-ball 146, which also included five fours, to power Rangpur to a huge total of 206 for one in 20 overs.
The big man, who leads the T20 sixes chart with 819 sixes -- 310 ahead of the next highest -- broke his own record of most sixes in a T20 innings, going past the 17 he hit on way to the highest T20 score of an unbeaten 175 in the 2013 IPL for Royal Challengers Bangalore. It was also his 20th century and second in the fifth edition of the BPL. He also hit two tons in the inaugural edition for Barisal Burners.
Among those 18 sixes, at least four came from mistimed shots which sailed over the boundary ropes quite comfortably.
His first six of the innings came in his 15th ball, bowled by off-spinner Mosaddek Hossain, when the big man cleared his front leg and launched an effortless six over long on to start the rampage. The type of form he was in yesterday was reflected when his mistimed slice off pacer Khaled Ahmed sailed over the backward point region for a six, surprising the fielder who at one point was hoping for a catch.
Another instance of his power was seen when he mistimed a short of a length Shahid Afridi delivery in the 12th over. Gayle waited for the ball and rocked back but was unable to connect fully. It still cleared long on and the gigantic Kieron Pollard's leap quite comfortably.
In the very next over it was his fellow countryman Sunil Narine who suffered the power of Gayle when he went for a bent-kneed slog off a back-of-a-length length delivery. It took the leading edge of the bat and Narine was looking at the fielder at deep midwicket, but like the spinner the fielder was a mere spectator. Even Bangladesh opener Tamim Iqbal, who was seen watching the game, exclaimed: "When we mishit, we get caught. But when it's this guy, it goes for six."
At the end, the only logical conclusion is that there is no such thing as a mishit when Gayle is batting.
BOSSING A UNIVERSE OF HIS OWN
18 Chris Gayle set a world record as he hit 18 sixes against Dhaka yesterday, the most in any T20 innings, beating his own tally of 17 sixes for Bangalore in IPL 2013. He also became the first player to surpass 100 sixes in the BPL.
4th Gayle became the fourth batsman to hit a century in the final of a T20 tournament.
15 Gayle has hit more than 10 sixes in a T20 15 times. The next highest is twice.
485 In eleven matches, Gayle amassed 485 runs at an average of almost 54 as he finished as the highest run-getter in the BPL's fifth edition.
3 Three centuries were struck in the BPL's fifth edition, two by Gayle and the other by teammate Johson Charles. He also hit two fifties but Evin Lewis (Dhaka Dynamites) and Upul Tharanga (Sylhet Sixers) bettered him with three each.
146* Gayle's unbeaten 146 also broke the record for most runs in a T20 tournament final.
20 The West Indian hit a record-extending 20th T20 century. 11,056 Gayle now has the most runs in T20s with 11,056. Bredon McCullum is second with 8,526.
201 Gayle combined with McCullum to form the highest partnership of the BPL so far as the pair put on 201 for the second-wicket in the final.
BEST OF THE REST
160 Dhaka's Shahid Afridi and Sunil Narine together gave 46 runs from 48 balls in the final, but the other 12 overs haemorrhaged 160 runs.
5-16 Shakib Al Hasan finished with the best figures in an innings in this BPL. He picked up five wickets for just 16 runs in Dhaka's last meeting against Rangpur.
22 Shakib also finished as the leading wicket-taker of the tournament with 22 scalps.