The worst pitch I have seen
Chris Gayle
Kanishkaa Balachandran
25-Feb-2013
Chris Gayle
The first day of the third and final Test match against Pakistan at
Karachi was a pretty good day for the West Indies. The pitch is
horrendous for Test cricket because of the low bounce. It is the worst Test pitch I have ever seen so far in
my career because the ball was almost rolling on the very first day of
the Test match.
We still have to bat on it though and when our turn comes to bat we
won't use that as an excuse. We still have to get the last three
Pakistan wickets before our turn at the crease and even though most
of our batters and especially the captain are in good nick it will be
hard work. Myself and Daren [Ganga] have to adjust to these conditions
and we have been having chats about how we are going to approach our
partnership.
Both of us missed out on hundreds in the last game and Dwayne Bravo as
well, but that's done and gone. It is a new leaf to turn to now. Once
we can build partnerships and get a big first innings score on this
wicket we can definitely set ourselves up for a victory in order to
draw the series. I have to give big credit to the bowlers – Corey
Collymore, Jerome Taylor, Daren Powell and Bravo – they all bowled
well on that low and slow wicket but they know what Test cricket is
like.
When we first arrived in Karachi from Multan the team had a little fun
trip to a local resort. It was the first time I ever rode a motor
bike even though it was a small one. We drove mini race cars, buggies,
go karts and rode motor cycles. We also had a go at simulation desert
riding on ATVs. The bike riding was fun but I don't plan to ride any
again in the near future unless it's on four wheels. That I did enjoy
a lot and I think those are the sorts of things we need to have in
place whenever we go on tour rather than the routine of just going
from the hotel to the ground and back.
That sort of atmosphere can really take your mind away from cricket
for a while and make everyone relax. There is a time for serious
cricket and there is a time for fun. We are still human and we have to
look to enjoy ourselves even though the tour is long and can get
depressing we have to hang in there.
Mommy, I'm missing you!
Kanishkaa Balachandran is a senior sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo