GAYLE

Christopher Henry Gayle

Christopher Henry Gayle, OD (born 21 September 1979) is a Jamaican cricketer and a former captain, who plays international cricket for the West Indies.^[2] Gayle captained the West Indies' Test side from 2007 to 2010. Considered one of the greatest batsmen in limited-overs cricket, Gayle has set and tumbled numerous records across all three formats of cricket. He is widely acknowledged as the most destructive and greatest Twenty20 batsman in the history of the game. He is well known for hitting sixes very often; in 2012 he became the first player to hit a six off the first ball of a Test match.

He is one of only four players who have scored two triple centuries at Test level: 317 against South Africa in 2005, and 333 against Sri Lanka in 2010. Gayle became the first batsman in World Cup history to score a double century when he reached 200 off 138 balls against Zimbabwe during the 2015 World Cup. He finished on 215 runs, which was the record for highest score in a World Cup until it was broken by Martin Guptill against Gayle's own team.^[4] He is one of the five players to score a double century in ODIs. In March 2016, Gayle became only the second player (after Brendon McCullum) to hit two Twenty20 International hundreds, scoring 100 not out against England.

He plays domestic cricket for Jamaica, and also represents the Kings XI Punjab in the Indian Premier League, the Karachi Kings^[5][6] in the Pakistan Super League, the Melbourne Renegades in the Big Bash League and the Rangpur Riders in the Bangladesh Premier League. He has also represented Worcestershire, the Western Warriors, Sydney Thunder, Barisal Burners, Kolkata Knight Riders and Somerset in his career. He was also selected for team Uva Next for the inaugural Sri Lanka Premier League in 2012.^[7] In 2017–18 Bangladesh Premier League season, Gayle performed for Rangpur Riders and he came out as the player of the series as well as the highest run scorer.

Early career[edit]

Gayle started his cricket career with the famous Lucas Cricket Club in Kingston, Jamaica.^[8] Gayle claimed "If it was not for Lucas I don't know where I would be today. Maybe on the streets."^[8] Lucas Cricket Club's nursery has been named in honor of Gayle.^[8]

International debut[edit]

Gayle played for the West Indies at youth international level prior to making his first-class debut aged 19 for Jamaica. He played his first One Day International eleven months later, and his first Test match six months after that. Gayle, who normally opens the innings when he plays for the West Indies, is a destructive batsman who is most effective playing square of the wicket. In July 2001, Gayle (175), together with Daren Ganga (89) established the record for opening partnerships at Queens Sports Club, Bulawayo when they put on 214 together against Zimbabwe.

The Chris Gayle Academy[edit]

In 2015 Gayle set up 'The Chris Gayle Academy' with the intent on helping disadvantaged children in both Jamaica and The United Kingdom better themselves and their communities through their involvement in sport.^[81] Since then the academy has expanded and now facilitates the advancement of young cricketers careers by providing access to quality coaches and playing opportunities abroad.

International centuries[edit]

Gayle has scored 40 international centuries, which includes 15 Tests, 22 ODIs and 2 T20I centuries. He is the first cricketer to score centuries in all formats of the game.

See also: List of international cricket centuries by Chris Gayle

Records[edit]

• First batsman to score a century in each of international cricket's three formats of the game.
• First batsman to score a T20I century as well as a T20 World Cup century. He's also the only batsman to score two T20 World Cup tons. In fact, he holds the record for being the only batsman to score a T20I century in a losing cause as well as to score a T20I century in a winning cause. He too holds the record for being the only batsman to score a T20I century when batting first as well as when batting second.^[82]
• First international player to carry his bat through the entire innings in Twenty20 International.^[83] He is also the only player to carry his bat in both tests and T20Is.
• First player to hit a six off the first ball in the history of Test cricket.^[3]
• First player of West Indies to hit a double century in ODIs as well as in World Cup history.
• First batsman to score 10,000 Twenty20 runs in career.^[84][85]
• He was only the fifth player in ODI history and second from West Indies to score an ODI hundred in his 100th ODI.^[86]
• Only player in world cricket to hit a triple hundred in Tests, a double hundred in ODIs and a hundred in Twenty20 Internationals.^[87]
• He also holds a joint record along with Yuvraj Singh for hitting the fastest T20 half century in 12 balls.^[88]
• In World Cup 2015, he hit the fastest double century against Zimbabwe. Therefore, he holds the record for the fastest double century in ODI history as well as in World Cup history (off 138 balls)^[89]
• Gayle also holds the record for highest individual score in T20 which is 175* off just 66 balls against Pune Warriors India. Also holds the record for the highest individual score as an opener in Twenty20 cricket.^[90][91]
• Holds the record for the most number of sixes in T20I (100)^[92]
• Leading runscorer in all forms of T20s (10074 runs-as of 18 April 2017)^[93]
• Leading runscorer in ICC Champions Trophy history (791 runs)^[94]
• Most runs in a single ICC Champions Trophy series (474 runs)^[95]
• Gayle certainly has the unique record for scoring centuries in ICC U19 World Cup, ICC World Twenty20, ICC Cricket World Cup and in ICC Champions Trophy
• Holds the record for the most runs scored by a player in any form of T20 in a losing cause (151*) and the only batsman to score 150 in a T20 innings in a losing cause.^[96]
• He along with Marlon Samuels holds the record for the highest ever ODI runstand for any wicket (372 runs for 2nd wicket) and also it is the highest ever runstand in for any wicket in World Cup history^{[97][98][99][100]}
• He along with Devon Smith set the record for the highest opening stand in ICC World T20 history (145)^[101]
• First player to hit all 6 balls in an over for four in test cricket.
• Gayle has hit the most number of sixes in a T20 innings (18) during the 2017-18 Bangladesh Premier League, breaking his own world record of 17 sixes that he smashed in his unbeatable knock of 175 in the 2013 Indian Premier League.^[102]
• Gayle is the first player to have scored 20 centuries in all forms of cricket and he holds the record for the highest individual score by a cricketer in a professional T20 league final (146*)

International rise[edit]

See also: List of centuries in Twenty20 International cricket

Gayle in 2010.

In August 2005, Gayle joined Worcestershire for the rest of the English season, playing eight matches. He made two half-centuries in three first-class matches and two half-centuries in five one-day matches, and won one Man of the Match award in the one-day National League. However, Worcestershire were relegated after Gayle made 1 in the final match against Lancashire.Gayle had a slow start to his international career, but invigorated it in 2002, ending the year with three centuries against India in November and becoming the third West Indian to score over 1,000 runs in a calendar year, along with Vivian Richards and Brian Lara. He is one of only six players in One Day International history to have three or more scores of 150. In 2005, Gayle was dropped for the first Test against South Africa along with six other players following a dispute over sponsorship issues (see below). He returned for the second Test but had a poor series until the fourth Test, where he made a match-saving 317. It was the first-ever triple century against South Africa and up until Mahela Jayawardene made 374, it was the highest individual Test score against them. In another match of the series, Gayle had to leave the field after complaining of dizziness. During a subsequent series against Australia, Gayle again complained of dizziness and shortness of breath during his innings. He left the field for a time, and was after the match sent to hospital where he was diagnosed with a congenital heart defect causing a cardiac dysrhythmia. He underwent heart surgery following the series to correct the defect.^[9][10] Gayle was only the fourth West Indian to carry his bat in a Test innings.^[11]

Gayle was named Player of the 2006 Champions Trophy, where the West Indies nearly defended the title they won in 2004, being defeated in the final by Australia. Gayle scored three centuries and totalled 474 runs, 150 more than any other batsman, and also took eight wickets in as many matches. Gayle, in keeping with the rest of the West Indies team, had a poor World Cup in 2007. He recorded a series of low scores; the one exception being a blistering 79 off 58 balls against England in the West Indies' final match.

Gayle set the first record for the highest innings in a Twenty20 International, scoring 117 against South Africa in the first match of the 2007 World Twenty20.^[12][13] The innings was the first century in international Twenty20 cricket and made him the first batsman to score a century in each of international cricket's three formats.^[14] The record stood unmatched until 19 February 2012, when South Africa's Richard Levi scored 117n.o. against New Zealand; Cricinfo recognised Levi as having broken the record outright, because a not out innings is ranked above a dismissal.^[15]

In the semi-final match of the 2009 World Twenty20 against Sri Lanka, he became the first international player to carry his bat through the entire innings in this format of the game as well. In April 2008, Gayle was auctioned by the franchise Kolkata Knight Riders of the Indian Premier League, but missed the opening games due to a Sri Lanka tour to the Caribbean. When he finally joined the team, he missed out on the action due to a groin injury he picked up during that tour. Afterwards, he left to join the West Indies team for a home series against Australia, therefore not playing in the inaugural version of the IPL.

He played in the second IPL competition in early 2009, arriving for an away Test series against England very late, earning criticism about his commitment.^[16] His Test series went poorly, and the West Indies went on to lose both the Test and ODI series. Gayle, however, went to on score a match winning 88 in the first official match of the 2009 Twenty20, in a surprise victory over Australia.^[17]

On 17 December 2009 in the Australia v West Indies 3rd Test Chris Gayle scored the fifth-fastest century in Test match history. He reached the century in just 70 balls. However he was shortly after dismissed for 102 runs. This feat included a flurry of runs thanks to some big hitting sixes. On 16 November 2010, he became the fourth cricketer to score two triple centuries in Test cricket after Donald Bradman, Brian Laraand Virender Sehwag.^[18]

On his return to Test cricket in July 2012, he scored 150 on the third day of the first Test against New Zealand.^[19]

Gayle scored 75 runs from 41 balls, fuelling West Indies' total of 205, against Australia in the 2012 ICC World Twenty20 semifinal, which was the highest total of the tournament.^[20][21]

An innings-by-innings breakdown of Gayle's Test match batting career, showing runs scored (red bars) and the average of the last ten innings (blue line).

In November 2012, during the First Test against Bangladesh in Dhaka, Gayle became the first player to hit a six off the first ball in the history of Test cricket.^[22][23] In February 2015, he became the fourth cricketer to score a double century in ODIs when he made 215 against Zimbabwe.^[24][25]

In this match against Zimbabwe in World Cup in Canberra, Gayle became the first player to hit a double century in World Cup history. His partnership with Marlon Samuels was the most productive wicket in Cricket World Cup history, producing 372 runs before Gayle was caught for an out on the final ball of the    innings.^[4] Coincidentally, he was almost adjudged out on the very first ball he faced as an LBW appeal was raised by Zimbabwe bowler, Tinashe Panyangara, however, the umpire turned down the appeal. Despite a review which showed that the ball would have clipped the top of the bails, the original decision was upheld.^[4] Gayle thus became the only player in world cricket to hit a triple hundred in Tests, a double hundred in ODIs and a hundred in Twenty20 Internationals.