SK Flashback: When Chris Gayle lit Johannesburg as well as the World T20 ablaze
It was the 11th of September 2007. The city to be in on this day was Johannesburg, for this was the start of something special. The inaugural World Twenty20 was to begin and what better venue than the Bull Ring.
The hosts South Africa were up against the West Indies in the first match in front of a full house, in anticipation of what promised to be an exciting night of cricket.
Shaun Pollock ran in. Chris Gayle took strike. Bowled just outside of stump. Correct Test match line. Only difference? Gayle cuts it off and the ball races away to the point boundary. What a start to proceedings.
If South Africa thought that this was just another brisk start and no more in the offing , they were badly mistaken rather it was only the beginning of what proved an unforgettable night.
There was no sparing for any bowler during the course of the next hour or more as the left-hander from Jamaica launched into everybody, setting Johannesburg ablaze and giving the tournament the start it deserved with a blistering hundred that propelled the side the Men from the Caribbean island to 205 for 6 in 20 overs.
The Jamaican was known for his bug hitting ability but this was taking it to the next level as sixes flew in all directions of the ground, leaving the bowlers looking for cover.
But Herschelle Gibbs and co. had other ideas and they gave the West Indian bowlers a treatment of their own, slamming them to all parts of the ground and chasing down the target with two overs to spare.
It was just the sort of the start a tournamemt like that needed and over the course of the next 12 days, we saw some absolutely thrilling cricket which culminated in an absorbing final, rated till date by many as one of the best T20 games played, between India and Pakistan at the same venue.
The success of the World T20 catapulted not just the rise of the event but also ensured that domestically, T20 cricket received a big boost with the emergence of several Leagues all across the globe.
Everything needs a start somewhere and for Twenty20 cricket, this was it.