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Gayle relishing Twenty20 showpiece

Chris Gayle believes the second ICC World T20 tournament is the ideal stage for up-and-coming players to showcase their worth.

West Indies captain Gayle, who recently caused a stir by revealing a preference for 20-over cricket over more traditional forms of the game, is excited by the exposure of the second global gathering in England this month.

West Indies are in the toughest of all groups and take on Australia on Saturday at the Oval as well as Sri Lanka.

Despite their challenging draw, however, and a terrible set of results since arriving on tour here in April, Gayle views this international competition as a shop window for future franchise deals in a fast-changing 20-over market.

I try to stick to my strength, says Gayle

"It's a huge thing," said Gayle. "It's good for players to be able to make a name for themselves in this format of the game. You never know what the future might hold for them."

Gayle's hundred against South Africa two years ago remains the only one in Twenty20's short international history and he will be employing his usual method of brute force rather than adopting any of the trendy flicks and sweeps of his contemporaries.

"The only extra option for my game is to try to pick up more singles," Gayle said. "I am not too much into the fancy strokes. I try to stick to my strength, which is power: once I get it right I will clear the boundary, so I have to back myself in certain situations.

"I am an attacking person, and hopefully that can bring a lot of joy and smiling in the crowd. The environment is brilliant when Twenty20 is going on. When Test match cricket is going on it is a bit more laid back and quiet."

Gayle sat out the warm-up thrashing by England in midweek after blitzing seven sixes in an unbeaten 88 against Scotland - and will return to lead a team including fellow Indian Premier League players Dwayne Bravo and Fidel Edwards.

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Shane Warne's tactics give Rajasthan Royals an edge over Adam Gilchrist's Deccan Chargers when the two face off on Monday.

Both the sides are smarting from defeats in previous matches.

Warne and Gilchrist, two men who never got along while playing together for Australia, lock horns as rival skippers at Kimberley's De Beers Diamond Oval for the second time in IPL as the race for the semifinals heats up.

Warne had the last laugh in the previous encounter and Gilchrist would be eager to get even with the man with whom he shared one of the most successful partnerships as a wicketkeeper for Australia but could never get along beyond that.

In fact, the Warne-Gilchrist rivalry adds a different dimension to the contest between two sides, evenly matched as far as batting is concerned.

Deccan batting looking good

For Deccan, Andrew Symonds has made a late entry to the team and has made a brilliant start, scoring a 36-ball 60 in the match against Kings XI Punjab.

Gilchrist, himself, has been in a good touch and Herschelle Gibbs hasn't done too bad either. Add to this, Rohit Sharma's consistency and Deccan's line-up looks formidable.

But Rajasthan's batting is no less with openers Naman Ojha and Graeme Smith in fine form. In Yusuf Pathan, Rajasthan has the aggressor who can change the course of a match. Warne, himself, is no novice with the bat.

Bowling could be the difference

It is the bowling, perhaps, which gives Rajasthan the slight edge.

Pacer Amit Singh -- reported for suspect action but allowed to play until the IPL technical committee decides on his fate -- has wrecked havoc whenever he has been given the ball.

Left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja is also among the wickets and adding to the team's bowling strength is the captain-cum-coach Warne himself.

In contrast, pace spearhead R P Singh has not been too consistent for Deccan.

The part-time spin of Rohit and Symonds cannot be relied upon to win matches, especially the close games, as was proved in the last-over loss to Kings XI Punjab, even though Gilchrist insists that bowling is not a concern.

That Gilchrist is an inspiring leader cannot be doubted considering the way he has turned Deccan into a competitive team after last season's flop show but Warne's ability to surprise the opposition will give him the edge in MOnday's match.

Approaching milestones
- For both the teams, the forthcoming encounter would be a vital one. Both teams have won five games each so far in the second edition of the IPL.
- Deccan Chargers, in case of a win, would be registering their first victory over Rajasthan. Rajasthan have won all the previous three encounters against Deccan Chargers - by 3 wickets at Hyderabad; by 8 wickets at Jaipur and by 3 wickets at Port Elizabeth.
- Adam Gilchrist (691) requires only 9 runs to complete his 700 runs in the IPL.

Head to head

	P	W	L	NR	Win%
Deccan	23	7	16		30.43
vs Rajasthan	3		3		0.00
Rajasthan	25	17	7	1	68.00
vs Deccan	3	3			100.00

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Newcastle vs Middlesbrough

Middlesbrough boss Gareth Southgate will be at odds with former England team-mate Alan Shearer when the pair meet in a do-or-die battle at St James` Park on Monday night.

Shearer, who took on the task of dragging Newcastle out of the Barclays Premier League relegation zone last month, admitted on Thursday the latest Tyne-Tees derby is the biggest game of even his illustrious career.

But while victory for the Magpies would take them out of the bottom three after Hull's home defeat by Stoke, Southgate insists the crucial contest is only the most important because it is the next one.

Full-back Andrew Taylor returns to Boro`s squad after recovering from a hip flexor problem.

However, skipper Emanuel Pogatetz will miss the rest of the season with the knee injury which has sidelined him for the last four games, and Chris Riggott (ankle) is also still out.

Southgate said: "It's pointless going back to games you have played in the past.

"You would have to question whether this is bigger than the game where we had waited 128 years to win a trophy - you have to question whether it is bigger than a European final.

"But, because it's the next game and the task ahead of us is to stay in the league, yes it is - but last week's was and next week's will be.

"There's a sense of perspective in that. We love to hype matches - this obviously has tremendous importance for both teams, and other teams at the bottom of the table, but there are still two more games to play after it.

"If we win, we still need other results to get ourselves over the line."

Southgate and Shearer won 120 England caps between them, many of them together, and were part of the team which came agonisingly close to reaching the final of Euro '96, with the defender missing the crucial penalty in the semi-final shoot-out with Germany.

Southgate then captained Boro to Carling Cup glory in 2004, and led them out out for the UEFA Cup final in Eindhoven two seasons later.

However, while the prize at stake in the remaining three games of the campaign might be more modest - at least in non-financial terms - he has ordered his players to relish the challenge.

He said: "It's very difficult to put into that context, really, because they are chances to win something and be part of history that will be forever remembered by your supporters.

"This is a different sort of challenge. But the one thing I would say is you should relish that challenge."

Newcastle defender Habib Beye has urged his Newcastle team-mates to adopt Shearer's winning mentality to hand the manager a first victory just when he needs it most.

Joey Barton begins his three-match suspension after being sent off at Liverpool on Sunday, while Alan Smith is a major doubt with a thigh problem.

Left-back Jose Enrique is struggling to shake off his hamstring injury, but central defender Steven Taylor (ankle) has returned to training after two games on the sidelines and could figure.

The Magpies face their derby rivals knowing a first three-point haul since February 7 would lift them above Hull on goal difference and out of the relegation zone with just two games to play.

They are equally well aware that the alternative is simply not an option, and Beye knows the time has come to deliver a maiden victory in six attempts for Shearer.

Beye said: "He is still strong, when he is playing with us in training, he is still really strong, and he is a winner.

"You can see when he plays all the small games sometimes with us, he wants to win every game, and that's the mentality we must have.

"He has done a great job for us with [assistant] Iain Dowie. I believe we will stay in the Premier League and I hope for the club he will stay next year and bring something good for the next year."

Shearer's continued presence on Tyneside - he has insisted all along that his return to St James' would last just eight games, although there is a growing feeling he is ready to commit himself for a longer period - will depend on a series of factors, although relegation or otherwise may not be one of them.

But in the short term, the only focus is on avoiding a drop which would have been unthinkable just a few years ago as the home-grown talisman led the fight for honours on the pitch.

And a derby win would at least give the club the springboard they so desperately need.

Shearer said: "It would be massive, without a doubt. It would give everyone a huge lift confidence-wise, belief-wise."