IT WAS NOT that long ago that Chris Gayle found himself, not for the first time, settling into a period of international exile.
The Indian Premier League, and its mega-buck contracts, had diverted Gayle’s attention enough to lure him away from full touring and Test-playing commitments with his country.
The West Indies suffered badly without his hard-hitting skills up the top of their order and Gayle was soon back in the team.
On Friday night in Sri Lanka, less than 48 hours after three British women had been arrested for ‘socialising’ with Gayle and three teammates in their hotel room at the Cinammon Grand, the languid batsman proved to the world, again, that his is a devastating foe with willow in hand.
In just over an hour and a half, the Jamaican pummelled 78 runs in 41 balls. Amongst the well placed shots for singles and doubles there were five fours and six gigantic sixes.
He finished unbeaten and rarely looked troubled by the Australian bowlers as he led his side to a super total of 205 from their 20 overs.
In reply, the Aussies never came close. Gayle and his Windies colleagues still had the energy for an impromptu celebration dance on the bowling strip amid a cacophony of cheers from the grateful Colombo crowd.
Home fires burning
The tournament hosts, Sri Lanka, are waiting for them in the final but, while they did not swagger into the winner-takes-all encounter, they will be confident of derailing their six-slinging opponents.
Led by the dogged, often brilliant, Mahela Jayawardene and Tillakratne Dilshan, Sri Lanka got off to a steady start in their semi-final but could never break free of the shackles imposed on them by Pakistan.
They posted a score of 139 but it proved to be too good for Pakistan as the home side flummoxed their batters with an array of spin, swing and, courtesy of Lasith Malinga, stifling speed.
Jayawardene is proud of the way his team has battled throughout the World Twenty 20 with home supporters expecting nothing less than a tournament win.
However, he acknowledged that Sri Lanka must hobble the six-hitting skills of Gayle and Kieron Pollard if they are to lift the coveted title on home soil.
The T20 Final begins at 1.30pm (GMT) and will be available to watch on Sky Sports.
