T20 cricket has slowed down dramatically, T10 has raised the bar a bit, feels Chris Gayle
Chris Gayle believes that the T20 cricket has slowed down dramatically as far as batting is concerned, and the T10 format has raised the bar in recent times. Gayle further added that he doesn’t quite understand why the modern opening batsman takes the conservative approach in the powerplay.
Chris Gayle, who is well known for his hard-hitting abilities, has been one of the greatest batsmen over his career, especially in the shortest version. However, the Jamaican had a forgettable T20 World Cup in the UAE earlier this month, as West Indies failed make it into the semifinals of the marquee event. The swashbuckling opener also hinted at his retirement from international cricket along with his compatriot Dwayne Bravo after the conclusion of the T20 World Cup 2021.
The 42-year-old is currently playing for the Abu Dhabi team in the T10 league, and he has so far amassed 125 runs from four games with an astonishing strike-rate 198.41 and an average of 62.50.
Gayle pointed out that opening batsmen in T20s take time to settle in present times, rather than scoring quickly, and that the T10 format has raised the bar on that front.
“I think, with T10 cricket, that’s how T20 cricket started. From the first over, batters used to go but T20 cricket has slowed down dramatically and T10 cricket has now raised the bar a bit,” Gayle said in a statement.
“They’re killing the entertainment in T20 cricket, straight up, because in those first six overs, we can get more as openers but guys are taking their own time.
“Sometimes they bat to get a score and they take away from the fire they should be bringing to the batting department in the first six overs, but T10 is spot on and hopefully, we’ll see more T10 coming around.”
Batsmen resorted to playing cautiously in the sluggish pitches in UAE and Oman during the ICC mega event, and Gayle doesn’t quite agree with the idea.
“I don’t know why batters get so cagey during the first six overs. When T20 cricket started, guys were going from ball one, if you really check the history of T20 cricket looking back on it," he said.
“I don’t like that fact, I think we should go hard, keep the entertainment that is within the game of T20 cricket and continue to keep that aggression in the first six overs.”
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