Faf hopes for better luck in second T20 today
FAF du Plessis will hope to be able to instruct his bowlers in the second T20 international between SA and West Indies at the Wanderers today. That would be an improvement from the first game of the series at Newlands on Friday, when he ended up pleading with them.
“Get him out, please,” Du Plessis said he was reduced to asking when Chris Gayle was shredding SA’s attack. The Jamaican’s 77 off 31 balls set the Windies up for their win, which they almost blew by losing four wickets in 24 balls before getting home by four wickets with four balls to spare.
“It’s so tough; Chris is very versatile,” Du Plessis said. “He hasn’t just got one shot. He hits different balls to different boundaries. He puts bowlers under real pressure.
“If he’s on on a night, it’s so difficult to stop him as a bowling unit and as a captain. He’s the world’s most dangerous T20 player for a reason. He usually picks on one guy on the night and that’s it.”
On Friday, that guy was Kagiso Rabada — not long ago a teammate of Gayle’s for the Lions in the franchise T20 competition.
Gayle visited vicious violence on Rabada, drilling consecutive deliveries for six, six, six, four, six and four in the 19-year-old’s second over. Why did he pick on him?
“Trust me, he picked on me first,” Gayle said. “He tried to knock my head off.”
Rabada’s bouncer to Gayle had soared over wicketkeeper Morne van Wyk and scurried to the boundary. Then came the stormy blast.
“I said: ‘Why did you try to knock my head off?’ ” Gayle added. “He said he had to bowl a bouncer.”
With that, Gayle let loose a ghoulish cartoon laugh that hinted at more of the same coming Rabada’s way — or someone’s way — today. And that on the Highveld, where the ball only flies further.
“It does,” Gayle agreed. “I hope it doesn’t fly at my head as well.”
The promise of pyrotechnics aside, today’s game offers SA the opportunity to fight their way out of trouble with a side that does not include AB de Villiers, Hashim Amla, Dale Steyn or Morne Morkel, who have all been rested for the three-match series.
If, for instance, Rilee Rossouw delivers another innings like his 51 not out on Friday, the notion of him winning a game or two at the World Cup next month will not seem quite so outlandish.
For the West Indies, the match is a chance to sing some sort of redemption song in the wake of their wholly uncompetitive performance in the test series.
A T20 series win is not test success, but it’s better than a kick in the head.
Gayle let loose a ghoulish cartoon laugh that hinted at more of the same coming Rabada’s way