Windies are Taking it the Australians

[Shola]

Australia made 169/7 after their 20 overs.

Windies are 128/0 after 11 overs
Gayle - 72
Fletcher - 53

[Sir X]

Live !

http://124.217.238.140/~cricshow/stream1.htm

[Baddaz]

gayle the magnificent... he went for the century and just fell short... a vicious attack on the aussie bowling... great innings...

fletcher is coming on as well... looks as if he is a poor man's gayle... xavier marshall just cant seem to get it right... would have liked to see him stay at the crease for the win...

[Islandman]

Outstanding innings! Does anybody still wonder why he said he wouldn't miss Test cricket? This is his natural game. Great opening stand by both batsmen, took the pressure off very early.

On the negative side, the WI fielding is really unacceptable at this level and in this type of cricket. You just cannot give away so many runs and expect to win very often.

[Peter R]

I saw his innings today up to his fifty and he actually did nothing wrong in terms of his strokeplay...it was really devastating and Brett Lee must be re-thinking his career...I believe he went for 56 off his four overs... that has to be demoralising for the Aussies and a boost to the Sri Lankans whom they play next...the lankans must also be strategising for Gayle already...anyway, there is no doubt that this form of the game is ideally suited for Gayle's batting style and temperament. To say that Gayle in his rampant mood is awesome is a gross understatement... as a purist Test cricket will always be for me the true test of a man's mettle on the cricket battleground... however, in this age of instant gratification I fear I am in a minority.

Having said that, if the rigours of test cricket disappear, the 20/20 product will be diminished... it's akin to using an online translator to translate your document without actually knowing the language into which you are translating... you risk producing crap...you need to know how to play proper cricket in order to put on the best 20/20 show. Gayle is an anomaly as he is not a classic batsman but he is gifted with great hand/eye coordination and so footwork is not necessarily required...however, his opening shot today had nothing wrong with it...a well-timed drive through extra-cover that the great classic batsmen would be proud of.

In this form of the game the expectations of the batsman are not the same as in the longer versions so it's ok to go out and look like Sammy Sosa rather than Lawrence Rowe...but given a choice I would pick "Rowe" any day over the sluggers.

[Gamma]

we are in the minority...test cricket is just that...a true "test" of cricleting ability.

[Islandman]

No question that test cricket/first class cricket is the ultimate form of cricket in terms of discipline, technique, etc.

The economic model for it though was always weak and now with the salaries being paid in T20 it is just about impossible to justify as the main form of the professional game. If a player is forced to to make a choice on how to make his living , it is not even close. Thats what the ICC have to figure out, how to compile the future tours calendar in such a way that players are not tempted to make that choice between T20 and Test, as well as the choice between franchise and country. In a way it is a good problem to have, cricket has a bright future ahead.

I expect Test cricket to survive in some diminished form. I certainly hope it does. Also it may be that the 50 over game is the one that takes the greater hit. I don't think anybody knows for sure what will happen yet.