The good news is SA have beaten West Indies in a T20 despite Chris Gayle scoring a century. The bad news is that whenever Gayle has made a half-century against SA the Windies have won.
Talk about counter-intuitive: give the man 50 and he beats you; give him 100 and you win.
This bit of junk science is based on nothing more than Gayle's 117 at the Wanderers in the 2007 World T20, when SA won by eight wickets, and his innings of 77 and 90 at Newlands and at the Wanderers, both in January last year, and both won by the Windies.
But, with SA set to clash with Gayle again in their WT20 match against West Indies in Nagpur tomorrow, all things should be considered. Overall, SA have played six T20s against Windies sides locked and loaded with Gayle - and SA have won four of them.
Gayle has never played a T20 in Nagpur, not even for Royal Challengers Bangalore. However, six of the 17 hundreds he has scored in the format have been smashed on Indian grounds.
The dreadlocked left-hander has scored more runs in T20s for West Indies in Asia than anywhere else, but he has also had more innings there than anywhere else.
He has been caught 25 times, bowled eight times, and leg-before, stumped and run out another seven times.
Of the six SA bowlers who have claimed Gayle's wicket, Dale Steyn, David Wiese and Imran Tahir are at the WT20. Of all the players in T20 international cricket who have bowled to Gayle only Johan van der Wath's average against him is higher: 117.00.
All of which meant nothing in Bangalore on Sunday, when West Indies added Sri Lanka to England as teams they had played and beaten in the 2016 WT20.
Gayle has played 47 T20s for the Windies, of which they have won 22 - or 46.81%. Overall, Gayle or no Gayle, the Windies have won 35 of their 73 games in the format.
Proteas must again see off Gayle threat
The good news is SA have beaten West Indies in a T20 despite Chris Gayle scoring a century. The bad news is that whenever Gayle has made a half-century against SA the Windies have won.
Talk about counter-intuitive: give the man 50 and he beats you; give him 100 and you win.
This bit of junk science is based on nothing more than Gayle's 117 at the Wanderers in the 2007 World T20, when SA won by eight wickets, and his innings of 77 and 90 at Newlands and at the Wanderers, both in January last year, and both won by the Windies.
But, with SA set to clash with Gayle again in their WT20 match against West Indies in Nagpur tomorrow, all things should be considered. Overall, SA have played six T20s against Windies sides locked and loaded with Gayle - and SA have won four of them.
Gayle has never played a T20 in Nagpur, not even for Royal Challengers Bangalore. However, six of the 17 hundreds he has scored in the format have been smashed on Indian grounds.
The dreadlocked left-hander has scored more runs in T20s for West Indies in Asia than anywhere else, but he has also had more innings there than anywhere else.
He has been caught 25 times, bowled eight times, and leg-before, stumped and run out another seven times.
Of the six SA bowlers who have claimed Gayle's wicket, Dale Steyn, David Wiese and Imran Tahir are at the WT20. Of all the players in T20 international cricket who have bowled to Gayle only Johan van der Wath's average against him is higher: 117.00.
All of which meant nothing in Bangalore on Sunday, when West Indies added Sri Lanka to England as teams they had played and beaten in the 2016 WT20.
Gayle has played 47 T20s for the Windies, of which they have won 22 - or 46.81%. Overall, Gayle or no Gayle, the Windies have won 35 of their 73 games in the format.
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