Brace up for ‘Gayleforce’

CAPE Town, are you ready? A city renowned for luring the biggest names in sport to its shores has stepped it up to an entirely new level after the swanky Global T20 League draft which took place yesterday.

We already knew Shah Rukh Khan – the uber superstar of Bollywood cinema – was coming to the Mother City after adding the Cape Town franchise to his growing Kolkata Knight Riders brand.

And now the Cape Town Knight Riders have brought the so-called “Universe Boss” Chris Gayle to Newlands. The West Indian is undoubtedly the biggest name in world T20 cricket, with his record superior to anyone who has played the shortest form of the game.

His T20 numbers of 10 290 runs across eight countries and 16 franchises dwarf those of his nearest competitors.

But that is just half the Gayle package. The big Jamaican is the ultimate bums-on-seats cricketer.

Ameasure of his global appeal is the fact that even one of Newlands’ favourite sons, Herschelle Gibbs, used to imitate Gayle’s celebrations. “Who wouldn’t want to be me?” Gayle asked in his autobiography, Six Machine.

Be prepared for social media to be lit up too, with hordes searching for the ultimate “selfie” with Gayle at the local nightspots, which his good friend Kieron Pollard, who has previously played at Newlands for the Cape Cobras, would no doubt advise him about.

For all of Gayle’s swag, though, he comes with plenty of substance too. The 37-year-old is a proven match-winner at the highest level with two World T20 winner’s medals in the cupboard. He is also a wellknown philanthropist, having started a foundation for disadvantaged children in his hometown of Kingston.

This giving spirit is something he shares with his Knight Riders teammate JP Duminy, and the pair will certainly be a source of inspiration for the latter’s JP21 Project, and many other kids as well.

The “Gayleforce” is blowing into the city. Cape Town, are you ready?