Chris Gayle doesn’t have any qualms about talking himself up. Once asked who was the coolest guy in West Indian cricket, he replied nonchalantly: “Myself”.


Dwayne Bravo is bowled off a no ball. He made an unbeaten 17-ball 20. (PCB)

It’s a quality that endears himself to fans worldwide but also gives his detractors ample fodder to get back at him when the opportunity presents itself. As everybody who has even the barest idea of who he is knows, that opportunity comes often.
Staying out of the headlines is simply not his idea of fun. Come to think of it, he only has to walk into a room full of journalists, and many of them would be thinking of a headline first.
The copy, they hope, would flow from it. That’s usually not how journalism works.
Last night at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Gayle walked to the pitch like he always does—as if there was some invisible force dragging him. Call it coolness or nonchalance, that’s your choice.
His team Lahore Qalandars were facing a desperate situation with just two wins from six matches, and you would at least expect their main player to walk briskly towards the wicket, bat swirling from hand to hand with intent, a menacing look in his eyes and determined expression on his face.
But Gayle would have none of it. Easy-going despite his dreadlocks and imposing frame, he took guard casually, glanced cursorily at the field-setting and drove the first ball bowled by Quetta Gladiators’ Anwar Ali through the covers for four. It was a caress, a la Gower, rather than a shot played with brute Gayle force.
It set the tone for the Qalandars’ huge score of 201, aided by Gayle’s 60 off 34 balls, skipper Azhar Ali’s 61 off 45 balls and Umar Akmal’s 55 in 25 balls.
Gayle and Ali put on 108 runs for the first wicket and when the West Indian departed, he had hit six sixes, three off Zulfiqar Babar, two off Anwar Ali and one off Umar Gul.
Skipper Ali also flourished, slamming seven fours and two sixes and Akmal, as his wont clobbered 55 with four boundaries and an equal number of sixes.
It was the first time in the PSL that a team had crossed 200, but it was a pity however, that these heroic batting efforts went in vain as the Gladiators edged a thrilling two-wicket victory thanks mainly to the brisk the start they had and a nerveless late flourish from Mohamed Nabi who slammed 30 off 12 balls including a four off the last ball of the final over in which 15 were required for victory.
The Gladiators’ innings started off with even more flourish with Bismillah Khan blasting three fours and a six of the second over bowled by Zafar Gohar.
And although opener Ahmed Shehzad was dismissed for four off the first ball of the third over bowled by Ehsan Adil, England reject Pietersen showed what his national team is missing by hitting the first five balls he faced for boundaries.
The next over bowled by Kevon Cooper saw a flurry of four boundaries by Khan as the Gladiators brought up 61 in four overs at an astonishing run rate of 16.
The introduction of Zohaib Khan and Dwayne Bravo brought the scoring rare down considerably and when Pietersen (34) and Bismillah Khan (55) fell on the score of 101, it seemed to turn the match right in Lahore’s favour.
Sri Lankan great Kumar Sangakkara then gave Lahore a hard time with 37 off 26 balls as the Gladiators, despite some splendid bowling by Adil and Bravo towards the end of the match, handed Lahore their fifth defeat in seven matches. Bismillah Khan was declared the man of the match.
Lahore now will have to beat Islamabad today in their last match and hope Karachi lose their match against Peshawar to have any hopes of qualifying for the playoffs.
Brief scores
Lahore Qalandars 201-2 in 20 overs (C Gayle 60 (34b, 4x3, 6x6), Azhar Ali 61 (45b, 4x7, 6x2), Umar Akmal 55 n.o (25b, 4x4, 6x4) lost to Quetta Gladiators 203-8 in 20 overs (Bismillah Khan 55 (30b, 4x10, 6x1), K Pietersen 34 (21b, 4x6), K Sangakkara 37 (26b, 4x4), Sarfraz Ahmed 21 (17b, 4x2), Mohamed Nabi 30 n.o (12b, 4x3, 6x2); Ehsan Adil 4/39, D Bravo 3/30) by two wickets.