Storm and Gayle style

The opponent shivers, when the team faces ‘Gayle storm’ during April-May in any format of cricket.

Chris Gayle, who has a penchant for Gangnam dance style, has created his own style of batting in cricket. That was visible when he hit 175 runs in the T20 match between Bangalore and Pune teams on April 22.

There seems to be a bit of correlation between Gayle and gale storm. According to the India Meteorological Department, a gale is a very strong wind.

The Beaufort scale, which measures the wind speed to observed conditions, describes wind speed of 50-61 kmph (km per hour) as high wind, moderate gale, or near gale. The wind speed of 62-74 kmph is described as gale or fresh gale, 75-88 kmph as strong gale, and 89-102 kmph as storm or whole gale.

If kmph describes a particular type of gale, the ‘sixes’ per match determine the future of Gayle’s opponents in cricket.

If it is a near gale, then you need some effort to walk against the wind. So, if Chris Gayle puts up a nominal score then the opponent team makes efforts and sometimes wins the match.

In the case of whole gale, the trees are broken off or uprooted. When Chris Gayle takes the whole gale format in cricket, bowlers in the opposite team will be left with no choice, but to watch him hitting sixes and fours mercilessly.

It is not just the runs that matter Gayle style. In the Bangalore press conference on April 22 Gayle was reported as saying: “I am an entertainer, so I try and entertain as much as possible.”

Now I am waiting to witness some more ‘Gayle storm’ from this entertainer in his typical Gayle style.