Feature

Gayle bosses it

Plays of the day from the World T20 match between England and West Indies

David Hopps
David Hopps
16-Mar-2016
The variety
Dwayne Bravo had the audacity to begin with an over of slower balls, the last of them full and loopy outside off stump which Alex Hales mistimed into the covers
The fielder
There are few more electrifying fielders in the world than Andre Russell. One of several boundary saves came when Joe Root clipped Jerome Taylor to long-on and, even though he didn't quite time it, must have imagined a boundary was on the cards. Russell's sprint, dive over the boundary, and dash back to return the ball restricted him to two.
The impetus
England were beginning to stall at 106 for 2 midway through the 14th over when Jos Buttler slapped Samuel Badree over long-on for six, giving the first sign of the steely wrists that have been valued so highly this season in IPL on the ground where he will star for Mumbai Indians.
The captain's intervention
There was much work to do when Eoin Morgan came to the crease. Russell spat a bouncer at him, second ball, and Morgan was up to the challenge, depositing it into the second tier.
Remember me
Chris Gayle was staved off the strike in the early overs while Marlon Samuels set about England. He announced himself with a 98m straight six into the top tier off Adil Rashid and, for good measure, repeated it against the next delivery.
The break
It is a rare sight to see a Super Sopper at work midway through an innings, but that was the decision midway through West Indies' innings. At 85 for 2, West Indies were well in control and, having won the toss, would have been happy with as much dew on the outfield as they could get.
The boss
Successive sixes off Ben Stokes took Gayle past Brendon McCullum as the leading six-hitter in T20 internationals. Just for once, he did not connect perfectly, but his pull cleared the leaping Root on the square-leg boundary
The triple decker
Three successive sixes by Gayle off Moeen Ali settled the contest. Moeen had conceded 20 from his first 3.3 overs, but another 18 came from his last three balls, the last blow - a full toss, unceremoniously dragged over long-on - leaving England with nowhere to go.

David Hopps is a general editor at ESPNcricinfo @davidkhopps