3rd ODI : Kiwis Are Still Searching Gayle Solution

New Zealand face another attack by Chris Gayle when they will take on West Indies in the third ODI of the five-match series at Basseterre on Wednesday.

The dangerous batsman has already started troubling the Kiwis in this series so far. He scored 63 not out in the first ODI as the his team easily chased down a revised target of 136 in a rain-affected match. In the hosts’ second ODI win at Jamaica, Gayle went smashing 125 off 107 balls with the help of eight fours and nine huge sixes.

It is very clear that the West Indies is a one man army right now. Since his return to international cricket after one year, it seems as if he is trying to make a point clear. In the two T20s, he was very impressive with scores of 85 not out and 53. His century at Jamaica was his 20th century in one-day cricket .

The Indian Premier League might have done a lot of good for Gayle. He seems to have found a new approach and technique towards his batting. He is not impetuous anymore. No bang, bang from ball one. In fact, at the start of his innings he is very cautious, takes his time and once settled down, it’s carnage for bowlers, then cricket goes to another entertainment level. Honestly speaking, one can’t see how the Black Caps are going to stop him.

Marlon Samuels also stood up against Kiwis and he was the other centurion at Jamaica. Dwayne Smith, who scored 65 not out in the first ODI, has also come good. So it’s little wonder that New Zealand are looking over their shoulders ahead of the match.

Kane Williamson, who has stepped into the captaincy shoes has failed to breathe life into this bunch. One good news for the Kiwi camp is that star wicket-keeper batsman Brendon McCullum who was rested for the series, is likely to join the Kiwi squad a few hours before the match.

New Zealand all-rounder Nathan McCullum said that they have devised a plan to get rid of Gayle. Let’s hope they really have, otherwise it can turn out to be another humiliating outing for New Zealand.

There will also be an emotional side to the match as West Indies remember former player Runako Morton, who was killed in a car accident in March earlier this year. Captain Darren Sammy has declared that he will donate his entire match fee to the Morton family.

Probable XIs:

West Indies: Lendl Simmons, Chris Gayle, Dwayne Smith, Marlon Samuels, Dwayne Bravo, Kieron Pollard, Denesh Ramdin (wk), Darren Sammy (capt), Andre Russell, Ravi Rampaul, Sunil Narine

New Zealand: Brendon McCullum/Rob Nicol, Martin Guptill, Kane Williamson (capt), Dean Flynn, T. Latham, Jacob Oram, B Watling (wk), Nathan McCullum, Kyle Mills, Tim Southee, Tarun Nethula