World T20: Chris Gayle Destroyed England's Plans Singlehandedly, Says Eoin Morgan
Chris Gayle batted with such supremacy that the honest efforts of England bowlers did not bear fruit, according to captain Eoin Morgan
Chris Gayle's skill level was 'quite up' said England captain Eoin Morgan, putting into perspective the onslaught the big-hitting Jamaican unleashed on his bowlers in their opening ICC World T20 fixture here. (World T20: Chris Gayle Wants to 'Entertain' Bangalore After Monster Ton in Mumbai)
Gayle smashed a sensational unbeaten century, studded with 11 towering sixes, to single-handedly take West Indies to a comprehensive six-wicket victory over England. (World T20: Chris Gayle's Unbeaten Century Blows Away England)
"Yes, he certainly did what he does. He was outstanding in conditions probably that favoured the bat a lot more than the ball. We could have been better by the way we executed our skills I think. But when he got in he didn't give us any chances and took on our bowlers," Morgan told reporters at the post-match media conference. (World T20: Chris Gayle's Form Not a Good Sign For Rivals, Says Sunil Gavaskar)
Chasing a challenging target of 183, the West Indies romped home in 18.1 overs on the back of Gayle's bludgeoning innings during which he brought up the fastest century in World T20 off just 47 balls, to better his own 2007 record of completing a ton in 50 balls.
"I don't think our bowling was outstanding. I certainly think we bowled with little bit of aggression early on, when he (Gayle) did face very little in the power play. But when he did face, the balls were quite attacking. I think he played Adil (Rashid) particularly very well," he added.
When quizzed about their plans to stop Gayle, Morgan said, "There are number of plans to stop him (Gayle). Obviously we bowled short to him for a while, he countered that. He is a very difficult batsman to bowl to like you have mentioned. He plays a couple of dot balls but also has the ability to take any of our bowlers down, just in one over. Tonight his skill level was quite up.
"Our plans were very good and execution of them was all right. But he is a world class player, he played really well."