<p>West Indies' surprise hero Johnson Charles said today he was indebted to Chris Gayle for easing the pressure during his match-winning knock against England at the World Twenty20.<br /><br /></p>.<p>The little-known opener top-scored with a brisk 84 and added 103 for the first wicket with Gayle to set up his team's 15-run victory in their opening Group one Super Eights match in Pallekele on Thursday.<br /><br />Gayle cracked four sixes and six boundaries in his explosive 35-ball 58 as the West Indies posted 179-5 before restricting England to 164-4 despite Eoin Morgan's unbeaten 71 off 36 balls.<br /><br />"If you're batting with Chris Gayle you know his ability, you know what he can do. You just have to give him the strike, sit back and watch," Charles, 23, said in a West Indies Cricket Board statement.<br /><br />"He's that type of player, he just explodes. He keeps it lively, and that takes the pressure off you. Just as Gayle can hit the ball far, I back myself to be able to hit the ball long and far and score quickly as well."<br /><br />Charles hammered three sixes and 10 fours in his 56-ball knock, his best in international limited-overs matches.<br /><br />"Once he (Gayle) got out I had to take the leading role and take it from there," said Charles, who has so far played just eight one-day and nine Twenty20 internationals.<br /><br />"There was still some work to do as we were looking for a big total, so I knew I had to keep going and set the platform. I will look to build on this start and look to achieve greater things for the West Indies." <br /><br />Charles, named man of the match for his brilliant performance, said he was delighted to have contributed to his team's victory.<br /><br />"I'm pretty happy. Getting man-of-the-match (award) in this World Twenty20 feels good and what is great about it is the fact that we went on to win the match," he said.<br /><br />"This is my first major contribution for the West Indies and I'm delighted that it led to a victory at this stage in the tournament."<br /><br />The West Indies will now play Sri Lanka at the same venue on Saturday before taking on New Zealand next Monday. The top two sides will advance to the semi-finals.<br /><br />Sri Lanka also won their opening Super Eights match, beating New Zealand in the super over in Pallekele on Thursday.</p>
<p>West Indies' surprise hero Johnson Charles said today he was indebted to Chris Gayle for easing the pressure during his match-winning knock against England at the World Twenty20.<br /><br /></p>.<p>The little-known opener top-scored with a brisk 84 and added 103 for the first wicket with Gayle to set up his team's 15-run victory in their opening Group one Super Eights match in Pallekele on Thursday.<br /><br />Gayle cracked four sixes and six boundaries in his explosive 35-ball 58 as the West Indies posted 179-5 before restricting England to 164-4 despite Eoin Morgan's unbeaten 71 off 36 balls.<br /><br />"If you're batting with Chris Gayle you know his ability, you know what he can do. You just have to give him the strike, sit back and watch," Charles, 23, said in a West Indies Cricket Board statement.<br /><br />"He's that type of player, he just explodes. He keeps it lively, and that takes the pressure off you. Just as Gayle can hit the ball far, I back myself to be able to hit the ball long and far and score quickly as well."<br /><br />Charles hammered three sixes and 10 fours in his 56-ball knock, his best in international limited-overs matches.<br /><br />"Once he (Gayle) got out I had to take the leading role and take it from there," said Charles, who has so far played just eight one-day and nine Twenty20 internationals.<br /><br />"There was still some work to do as we were looking for a big total, so I knew I had to keep going and set the platform. I will look to build on this start and look to achieve greater things for the West Indies." <br /><br />Charles, named man of the match for his brilliant performance, said he was delighted to have contributed to his team's victory.<br /><br />"I'm pretty happy. Getting man-of-the-match (award) in this World Twenty20 feels good and what is great about it is the fact that we went on to win the match," he said.<br /><br />"This is my first major contribution for the West Indies and I'm delighted that it led to a victory at this stage in the tournament."<br /><br />The West Indies will now play Sri Lanka at the same venue on Saturday before taking on New Zealand next Monday. The top two sides will advance to the semi-finals.<br /><br />Sri Lanka also won their opening Super Eights match, beating New Zealand in the super over in Pallekele on Thursday.</p>