Timid openers ruining T20 cricket' - WI star Gayle claims cautious approach from openers making game less fun
The towering left-hander has made his name at the top of the batting order by taking apart opposition bowlers. As such, the batsman’s feats in the shortest format are unequalled, having racked up a world-leading 14,000 plus runs in an explosive career. In recent years, however, strategic adjustments have seen a few batsmen opt for a more considered approach to the innings.
Gayle believes such adjustments have made T20 cricket less explosive in the first six overs and as such less entertaining.
''I think, with T10 cricket, that's how T20 cricket started. From the first over, batters used to go but T20 cricket has slowed down dramatically and T10 cricket has now raised the bar a bit,'' Gayle, who is currently taking part in the Abu Dhabi T10 League,” said.
''They're killing the entertainment in T20 cricket, straight up, because in those first six overs, we can get more as openers but guys are taking their own time,” he added.
''Sometimes they bat to get a score and they take away from the fire they should be bringing to the batting department in the first six overs, but T10 is spot on and hopefully, we'll see more T10 coming around.''