KEY POINTS:
Clive Lloyd's unforgettable 102 off 85 balls and 1 for 38 off his full quota of modest overs formed the foundation of West Indies' victory over Australia in the first, and still best, World Cup final at Lord's in 1975.
Now a similarly tall, languid, left-handed power-hitter who serves up uncomplicated bowling is one of the keys to West Indies' quest to be the first hosts to win the cup, on the first time it has come to the Caribbean.
The combination of Chris Gayle's belligerence as opening batsman and steady off-spin puts him second, behind Shaun Pollock, on the International Cricket Council rankings of limited-overs all-rounders.
His influence on West Indies' advance to the Champions Trophy final in India five months ago, a pared-down prelude to the World Cup, further hints at why their success is likely to be as dependent on him as on the brilliant captain, Brian Lara.
There were hundreds against Bangladesh, England and South Africa. His 474 runs (average 79) were 154 more than the next man. His strike-rate of 92.94 runs per 100 balls was ahead of Sanath Jayasuriya and Kevin Pietersen, the only other batsmen to pass the 90 mark. His shrewd bowling reduced scoring rates in the middle overs, earning him eight, often timely, wickets at four runs an over.
While there is a lot of Lloyd in Gayle's cricket, even down to the understated on-field manner, the Jamaican still lacks the aptitude against swing and spin that the celebrated former captain honed in county cricket.
It is a learning experience, of cricket and of life, that Gayle, like all present West Indian players, has not been afforded.
The super-cool exterior, portrayed by the glittering earring, regular changes of hairstyle and the ever-present designer sunglasses, remains. So does his role as dressing-room comedian.
"Ask anybody on the team who makes them laugh," he responds to those who misread him as the brooding, serious type. Yet, at 27, there is conclusive evidence that his batting, and his attitude, have matured.
His first instinct is to attack but, as he showed in compiling 317 against South Africa in the Antigua Test two seasons ago, he is capable of marathons as well as sprints. That epic lasted 10-and-a-half hours, almost twice as long as he had ever batted before.
"There is a lot of difference in my batting now," he says.
"I am just trying to play straight. When I get a start I try to capitalise on it and not give it away."
Not that he has always given it away. Before his 317, he had 204 and 175 among his Test hundreds. Three of his 15 in one-day internationals are in the 150s. All this was in spite of an irregular heartbeat that occasionally required medical attention during a match. It eventually led to corrective surgery in Melbourne in 2005 after it forced him off the field during a Test in Hobart.
As Lara's extraordinary career nears its end, and a new captain is required, Gayle's name has been touted - by Lara himself and by the former Australian captain Steve Waugh.
Lara came back from West Indies' triumph in the 2004 Champions Trophy in England trumpeting Gayle's leadership qualities. After the 2005 series in Australia, Waugh wrote that the West Indies team "lack urgency and vibrancy", noting "it takes just one player to initiate change by hustling between overs and to liven up proceedings with a bit of chat out on the field, especially if it is a senior player".
He felt that Gayle was the one who had "the presence and ability to influence those around him". But, he said, he would have to rid himself of his "casual cool" image.
A prominent confrontation with Michael Clarke in the first-round victory over Australia in the Champions Trophy brought him a fine. But it fell into Waugh's strategy of "mental disintegration", of livening up proceedings.
"The fans are accustomed to me always being calm and cool on the field but they saw something a little different in that game," he says.
"Even though I may have displayed a more intense side of my personality, I was always aware of the situation and what was required of me."
Clarke appeared to succumb to the pressure, fell to a poor shot and West Indies clinched victory.
Gayle was vice-captain for the recent tours of Pakistan and India when the current deputy, Ramnaresh Sarwan, was injured.
He has openly expressed his frustration at the underuse of his bowling - "I am not a scapegoat bowler to be used only when things are difficult," was how he put it - and chastised administrators for the shoddy treatment of players at domestic level. He is beginning to sound like a leader in every sense.
For now, it is his leadership as the commanding opener and tight spinner that West Indies are depending on to help them to another, long overdue, World Cup title.
- INDEPENDENT
