Twenty20 World Cup Kicks Off, South Africa beat West Indies in the Opener

The inaugural Twenty20 World Cup got off to a spectacular start at Johannesburg in South Africa. The first match was played between the host South Africa and West Indies. South Africa began the Twenty20 WC campaign in style, by winning the match by 8 wickets with 14 balls to spare. Put into bat, West Indies scored 205/6 in 20 overs, thanks to a hurricane 117 by Chris Gayle. DS Smith made 35.

South Africa never looked shaky in their run chase, as their batsmen made merry of the wayward bowling, confused fielding and poor catching by West Indies players. Gibbs led the run chase and remained unbeaten on 90. Justin Kemp scored an unbeaten 46. South Africa scored 208/2 in 17.4 overs. Chris Gayle was adjudged "Man of the Match" for achieving the milestone of become the first player to score a hundred in Twenty20 International.