Swashbuckling Gayle all the talk

Before yesterday, all AB de Villiers and Chris Gayle had in common was that they hit the ball a long way and have done so in the colours of the same Indian Premier League franchise.

Then De Villiers pitched up in flip-flops for his press conference ahead of SA’s World Cup match against West Indies at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) that started in the early hours of this morning.

Clearly, SA’s captain did not train hard yesterday. Neither did Gayle. In fact, he did not train at all. But while the South Africans scaled their practice back to activities like beach volleyball, the Windies put in a full session at the SCG.

Not, however, Gayle, whose absence from proceedings prompted a flurry of interest. First, the story went, he was resting the back that has been troubling him for more than a year. Then, it was said, he had a cold. But that was denied: his back was indeed what had kept him away from the nets. And, no, it did not mean he would miss today’s match.

Gayle smashed 215 off Zimbabwe’s attack in Canberra on Tuesday. If that doesn’t get you a day off, nothing will. But, after that innings, the first double century scored in the history of a tournament that has been going for 40 years, Gayle is the World Cup’s headline act.

Everything he does – or does not do – is news, regardless of how many runs he scores against SA today. However, De Villiers did not blink when told of Gayle’s inactivity.

“He doesn’t train often,” said De Villiers. “I played with him (for Royal Challengers Bangalore), and you don’t often see him in the nets. His body is quite old for his age. He needs to look after himself to make sure he gets on the park.”

Ailing back or not, Gayle’s achievement against Zimbabwe – which saw him equal De Villiers’ record of 16 sixes in a one-day innings – did not strike the SA captain as unusual.

“It’s not a surprise to see him bat like that,” De Villiers said before offering the barest bones of SA’s plan to avoid another master blast.

“It’s a matter of making sure you make your plans against him. He’s a world-class player and he can win games for his team in almost any situation. He’s one of those guys you need to look out for and make sure your plans are really clear towards him.”

To opposing teams, Gayle looms large as the monster with the bat. But that’s not who he is on his own side of the fence.

“Chris is one of the most jovial people in the dressingroom,” West Indies captain Jason Holder said.

“We love him.”

So does De Villiers, but only when he and Gayle are in the same team.