So today I got stuck wondering about cricket records – specifically when the absolute slowest innings ever happened in T20 games. You know how it is, one thought leads to another, right? Ended up wasting half the morning clicking around useless sites.
First thing, I just typed “slowest t20 innings ever” into the search bar. Total pain! Mostly got recent matches or opinions. Kept adding words like “official record” and “statistics” but still rubbish results. Started muttering to myself, “Where is the bloody data?” Felt like giving up.
Finally remembered the International Cricket Council site might have archives. Dug through old articles until bam! There it was. Chris Gayle, 2010, West Indies vs South Africa in Antigua. Shockingly slow. Felt like a detective solving a case.
Picture this: Gayle, usually a powerhouse hitter, crawling to just 65 runs. Took him 84 whole balls! That’s crazy for T20. Normally batters smash 50 runs in 30 balls. My head hurt just imagining fans watching that pace.
Why so sluggish? Looking deeper:
- Early wickets fell – Windies lost key players fast, pressure piled on Gayle.
- South African bowlers were savage – Steyn and co. gave zero breathing room.
- Gayle played anchor – Probably thought staying in was better than risky shots.
Worst overs? Middle overs were agony:
- Overs 7-10: Scraped together maybe 15 runs total.
- Overs 11-14: Felt like watching paint dry, maybe 18 runs.
- Overs 15-18: Finally hit some boundaries, but far too late.
So yeah, learned something useless but fascinating today. Sometimes slow isn’t steady – it’s just painful. Glad I found the answer though! Anyone remember watching that live? Must’ve been torture.
