CPL 2016: 5 outstanding performers of the first week
The Caribbean Premier League has got off to a blistering start in its first week. It has had everything that makes T20 cricket special – batsmen smashing the ball all over the park, terrific spells of bowling, great fielding, close finishes, it’s fair to say that it has fans all over the globe enthralled. Arguably, in its biggest season yet, the CPL is set to capture the imagination of fans in the coming weeks, loaded with a star cast and even playing 6 games in the USA, everything seems to be working well for the league.
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The first week has seen 8 matches held at two venues – The Warner Park, home of the St. Kitts and Nevis Patriorts and the Queen’s Park Oval, home of the Trinbago Knight Riders. Both the sides haven’t got off to the best of starts however, with the Patriots occupying 3rd place in the table and the Knight Riders occupying 5th place after having played 4 games each. The Jamaica Tallawahs and the Guyana Amazon Warriors are at the top of the table with two wins each.
As the league moves on to Guyana and Barbados for its next phase, we take a look back at the 5 top performers of the first week:
1) Chris Gayle, Jamaica Tallawahs
The Jamaica Tallawahs captain has got his team off to an incredible start, leading them to 2 wins in their first two encounters. He laid the platform with a half century in Jamaica’s first game against the Patriots as he helped his side post a challenging 153 on the board. He rotated his bowlers well as they put in a fighting performance to restrict the Patriots to 148 and claim a memorable 5 run win.
The second game completely belonged to the big man. Playing the defending champions, the Trinbago Knight Riders in their home ground, Chris Gayle scored his 18th T20 century (Yes, you read that right) to power his team home. Chasing 192 and against a formidable bowling attack, Chris Gayle got off to a tentative start, playing a run-a-ball 17 before absolutely tearing into the bowling, ending with 108 runs off 54 balls and remaining unbeaten to take his team home.