Five bowlers who can restrain Chris Gayle

Can anyone really stop Chris Gayle?In the cricketing World, Chris Gayle is widely regarded as a brutal hitter of the cricket ball. This Jamaican can decimate any bowling attack in limited over format with his superb hand-eye co-ordination. From pacers to spinners, bowlers are regularly dispatched to boundaries by this incomparable batsman.He is batting magnificently since the last few years in the limited over format. His most recent 100 off 47 balls against England in ICC World T20 is enough to demonstrate his current form in limited over format of the game. Although, every batsman has few weaknesses and there are some bowlers who can exploit them.Let us take a look at five bowlers who can contain Chris Gayle despite his aggressive batting style.

#5 Shakib Al Hasan

Shakib Al-Hasan is widely regarded as the greatest player to have ever played for Bangladesh. A brilliant left arm spinner and batsman, Shakib Al Hasan is arguably the finest all-rounder in the world right now. He is the only cricketer in the history of world cricket to achieve number one spot as an all-rounder in all formats.

He has been a consistent performer with his bat and ball for Bangladesh. His accuracy and consistency make him stand out from the other players in his team. As a bowler, he is shrewd and he is always ready to battle against the top teams. In limited over format, he currently holds the No 1 spot in ICC all-rounder rankings.

In ODI’s he is the first player from Bangladesh to achieve the double of 2000 runs and 100 wickets. In November 2014, Shakib became the third player in the history of test cricket to have scored a century and take 10 wickets in the same match. His accuracy and his ability to spin the ball could spell trouble for the West Indies maestro.

#4 Mohammad Amir

Considered as the new avatar of Wasim Akram, Mohammad Amir has faced many ups and downs throughout his career. In his first year in Pakistan’s domestic cricket in the year 2009, he took 55 wickets and secured his place in the Pakistan squad for ICC T20 WC 2009. He consistently bowled at speeds of around 145kmph and reached 152kmph in the final against Sri Lanka.

His remarkable credentials with the ball has forced pace legend, Wasim Akram, to say that Amir is much cleverer than I was at 18. In February 2011, he was banned by ICC for his involvement in a spot-fixing scam where it was proved that he had bowled deliberate no-ball in a test match.

He has been in tremendous form since his return from a five-year exile from international cricket. In Asia Cup against India, he bowled a blistering spell which was applauded by numerous cricketers and experts. He has the ability to swing the ball in both ways. He is known to craft lethal yorkers and vicious bouncers which can take out a player like Gayle on regular occasions.

#3 Imran Tahir

Considered as the finest leg spinner in the South African Cricket history, Imran Tahir is one of the veteran cricketers playing in ICC World T20 2016. He was born in Lahore, Pakistan. He has represented his country in U-19 team and was also a part of Pakistan A, but failed to play for Pakistan at international level.

After an impressive performance in county cricket, he got his first call from South African test team in 2010 and later made his debut against West Indies in 2011. He has been South Africa’s frontline bowler in limited over the format for a while.

He was the South African T20 cricketer of the year in 2013 and finished as the joint-leading wicket taker in ICC T20 World Cup in the year 2014 with 12 wickets in five matches. He is currently on the third spot in ICC T20 Bowler rankings. His ability to bowl googly and ability to use variations with the ball could prove a significant threat to an aggressive batsman like Gayle.

#2 Trent Boult

Labelled as one-half of New Zealand’s finest ever new-ball combination by Sir Richard Hadlee, Trent Boult has gained success at international cricket in a short span of time. He is currently no.1 bowler in ICC ODI rankings. His moment of glory came in the last edition of the fifty over world cup, when he took 22 wickets in 9 matches and finished as joint highest wicket-taker.

Boult can swing the ball in both ways, even in unfavorable conditions and his ability to bowl yorkers at will have made him a significant threat to batsmen. Gayle has a habit of playing aggressively from the first ball, but Boult’s potential with the ball can contain him across formats.

#1 Ravichandran Ashwin

Ravichandran Ashwin is the spearhead of India’s bowling line-up. There was a time when he was not preferred in overseas conditions and easily playable by batsmen. He used to rely on Carrom ball and on other variations, but after a short period of struggle in England, he returned to classical off-spin bowling. Ashwin was also a part of the 2011 World Cup winning team.

He took nine wickets in his maiden test match which made him the second Indian highest wicket taker on debut after Narender Hirwani. Now he is in the form of his life. In limited over cricket, he has gained the level of respect that Muralitharan and Sunil Narine held during their peak. Gayle loves to go after the spinners from the very first ball, but Ashwin’s Carrom ball and his control over his off breaks may prove to be a lethal weapon against a destructive batsman like Gayle.