Chris Gayle contributed 53 runs to the opening partnership, which effectively took the game away from the host, Zimbabwe. Gayle was the more aggressive of the two openers; as he went on to smack seven boundaries in the 76 balls that he faced. Gayle did not fail to punish the short-pitched stuff; rocking back either to cut or pull. The running between the wickets along with Ganga helped the Windies cause a lot as the two batsmen kept the scoreboard moving.