The Gayle Masterplan

The summary of Cricinfo’s ball-by-ball match commentary from the MCG tonight reads:

34.2 Hauritz to Rampaul, OUT, Australia go 1-0 up, Rampaul sweeps without too much power behind the shot, the ball loops to Shaun Marsh at deep midwicket, simple catch and West Indies go down by 113 runs, Gayle's 4-1 prediction looks implausible now, Australia picked up their sixth straight ODI win this summer.

Au contraire, Chris Gayle has now ensured that he is on track to keep his bold prediction. While we’re in the mood for making ridiculous statements, we may as well pretend this is all part of the Gayle Masterplan. He’s got the hard bit out of the way – the only loss. Now it’s simply a matter of four consecutive wins against the feeble Aussies and he’s a genius!

Despite Gayle’s cool persona, a cricketer of real substance lies underneath that languid exterior. We saw that much earlier this summer, in contrasting innings’ in Adelaide and Perth. In the eyes of many Australians who hadn’t really seen him at his best in this country before, he gained new respect and new friends. That will soon disappear if he keeps making foolish statements that belong more in the world of boxing or rock ’n’ roll wrestling than a serious cricket contest.

Four-nil indeed! It’s one thing being confident and upbeat but unless he made that statement with tongue firmly in cheek and clearly meant in jest, he risks being dismissed as irrelevant and trivial. His disparaging comments about Test cricket earlier in 2009 have already singled him out for closer scrutiny, redeemed somewhat by his leadership in Australia during the Test series. To then come into a one-day series, missing six of your best players, against a rampant Australian outfit on their home soil, world champions and Champions Trophy winners, and to seriously expect respect by talking about a 4-1 series triumph will do nothing for his credibility.

Even with Bravo, Benn, Sarwan, Barath, Chanderpaul and Taylor in the team, any sensible bookmaker would have the Aussies as comfortable favourites. Against a team like this current West Indian one, brave and honest in the field but seriously lacking pedigree with the bat, the 4-1 prediction sounds like it’s the rum talking. The TV broadcasters were trying to beef it up all evening, claiming that the batting was the strong suit (hence the choice to bat second) but secretly they must have feared that as soon as Gayle was dismissed, any interest in the game would be assassinated with it. And so it came to pass. Rarely has a moderate run-chase been buried in the third over with the fall of the first wicket.

The West Indian bowling and fielding was admirable at times. They read the pitch conditions and pulled back a likely 300-plus chase to a manageable target of 258. A stiff chase it was always going to be but with their apparent batting strength, it was a slim possibility. What we saw tonight has killed off any real interest in the rest of the series, unless Gayle can bat for most of the 50 overs himself. The rest of the top order do not appear to have the back-foot strokes to relieve the choking grip that the Australian seamers apply with the length they bowl, rarely allowing the batsmen to get on the front foot. I can’t recall an international No. 4 (Lendl Simmons) reduced to scoring singles between third man and square leg, unable to draw on any other stroke to wrest the initiative away from the bowlers. It’s a far cry from thrashing the ball on England’s flat pitches in the World Twenty20. No such easy pickings here son, not unless you’ve got a back-foot game and a plan to go with it.

Some of what we saw tonight was amateurish. Denesh Ramdin carries his gloves in his left hand and then wonders why he is slow to turn when scrambling back to make his ground. What sort of professionalism is that? It’s like a hairdresser working in a spa bath with an electric hairdryer. Dwayne Smith goes to extreme lengths to fetch a ball from outside off stump and gently paddle it down midwicket’s throat. To think he actually tried to hit it there. Gosh, who put that fielder there?

To cap it all off, despite falling wickets and a spiralling run rate, West Indies forgot to take their batting Powerplay. Their last glimmer of hope probably rested with Smith and Ramdin so surely that was the time to throw the dice. It’s inconceivable that a crucial strategic aspect of the game is completely forgotten or ignored. We all know that Gayle's so laid back that he virtually walks in his sleep but is there anyone else awake in that dressing room? I can’t think of another instance where a batting team has not taken their Powerplay in a losing situation. No John Dyson to blame this time.

Then again, it might all be part of the Gayle Masterplan. Maybe he thought he could save that unused Powerplay for the next game, along with the 15 overs that they didn't get through tonight. Actually … not a bad idea. Give them 65 overs and an extra Powerplay. Anything for a contest; even 4-1 the other way would be something to look forward to