DJ Stress T20 Festival
JAMAICA and West Indies talismanic opener Christopher Gayle is set to make an appearance for defending champions Hotel Tower New Line Cavaliers in the second DJ Stress Twenty20 Festival which is set to bowl off at the Guyana National Stadium, Providence on Sunday 4th July.

According to reports, the powerfully built Gayle will be lining up alongside Trinidad and Tobago ’s Lendl Simmons and Rayad Emrit as one of the guest players for the mighty NLC team.

The 30 year-old Gayle is presently averaging 32.47 from 20 matches and is the first batsman to score a ton, (117 against South Africa in the 2007 T20 World Cup) which along with his five half centuries, can be an added boost for the Canal Number Two side.

Gayle has also played 220 limited overs international for the West Indies, where he has amassed 7,885 runs at an average of 39.42 with a top score of 153 not out seven years ago against Zimbabwe , in an innings in which he shared a record 176 runs second wicket partnership with then skipper Brian Lara who struck 113.

His flat off spin bowling has netted him 28 T20 wickets from his 48 matches, with his best being 3-13 and he can certainly serve as a morale booster for the New Line Cavaliers line up, whose management team has gone all out to claim the one million dollars first prize.

With both Simmons and Emrit two utility players in the line up, alongside skipper Gajanand Singh, vice captain Andre Percival, Chien Gittens, Andrew Lyght Jnr and Cowen Ismond, certainly their opponents work is cut out for them.

Twenty five (25) year old Simmons has played 22 T20 matches, accumulating 398 runs at an average of 19.90 with a strike rate of 109.94, which enabled him to have a top score of 77.

Emrit will be a valuable boost in the bowling department for NLC, who will be missing the services of former Guyana and West Indies right arm leg spinner Mahendra Nagamootoo, who has opted to lead the T&T based Digicom Moosai Tigers, like he always does when in the Twin Island Republic.

Other members of the team includes Anthony Ifill, Teralph Scipio, Roger Chibiraj, Balram Samaroo and the hard working all rounders in Paul Wintz and Chien Gittens, who are two useful customers with the bat in the lower order.

Whether they use their regular wicketkeeper in Maxwell Fraser or go for the services of Guyana/Stanford wicketkeeper batsman Tyrell Tull is left to be seen but either way, the Hotel Tower sponsored New Line Cavaliers will certainly be the team to beat in the second edition of this tournament.