Mumbai : West Indies coach Phil Simmons has lavished praise on Chris Gayle, comparing the destructive southpaw to batting great Viv Richards after his blistering knock helped the Caribbean side open the World Twenty20 campaign on a winning note.
Gayle became the first batsman to score two hundreds in the World T20 after blasting an unbeaten 100 off 48 balls as West Indies eased past England by six wickets in the group stage match in Mumbai on Wednesday.
In addition, the 36-year-old batsman surpassed former New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum for hitting most number of sixes in the T20 format.
West Indies chased down the target of 183 with 11 balls to spare which reasserted their status as one of the most dangerous teams in the tournament.
“To destroy an attack like that, I think the only person in my time that I would put him with is Sir Vivian because Sir Vivian used to go out there and destroy attacks like that so I think he is up there with Sir Viv in the way he tears apart attacks,” Simmons told reporters while addressing a post-match press conference.
West Indies will next take on defending champions Sri Lanka at M. Chinnnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Sunday. (ANI)