West Indies star Chris Gayle will play in front of a packed Chinnaswamy cricket stadium today, when the West Indies face Sri Lanka in their ICC World T20 clash at 10 am (TT time).
Checks with authorities here have revealed that tickets for the match are all gone and 35,000 spectators will go through the turnstiles, looking to throw their support behind Gayle, the homeboy, because he plays for the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Indian Premier League.
Also returning home is West Indies captain Darren Sammy and leg-spinner Samuel Badree, both of whom also played for RCB in the IPL.
A portion of the tickets were sold online and the rest was left for sale at the ground. Many fans turned up at the venue yesterday and were able to snap up the remaining tickets before lunchtime. After lunch, fans were still lurking around looking to see if they could pick up any tickets. Even West Indian players were approached as they left training and headed to the bus to be taken to their hotel the Le Meridien. Some fans also showed at the hotel in search for ticket, as the “world boss” was coming home to entertain them.
Coach Phil Simmons was asked in an interview by an Indian journalist whether he would like to see Gayle fail, in order for other players to show their mettle. The big man looked on in horror and responded by saying absolutely not. He said he enjoyed the work of Gayle and he is looking forward to getting more of the same from him.
He dismissed the idea that Gayle’s performance against England glossed over flaws in his team. “I don’t think so, we played a very good game and although Chris performed well others did as well. I think that we had a good game and there was nothing like Chris glossing over any flaws. We had a plan and it was executed well and if Chris is the one that got the runs, well that’s fine.”