Nicknamed “The Universe Boss”, Chris Gayle is one of the greatest players in the history of cricket. Renowned for his T20 exploits, the West Indies legend has numerous records in all three formats of the game. He is the highest run-scorer for West Indies in ODIs and T20Is and one of only two players to have scored more than 10,000 runs for his country in ODI cricket.
Having represented the Caribbean side in 301 ODIs, Gayle has accumulated 10480 runs at a healthy average of 37.7. He has 25 hundreds, one double hundred and 54 half-centuries in the 50-over format. As the big man celebrates his 45th birthday today (21 September 2024), let’s take a look at his best performances in ODI cricket.
Here are Chris Gayle’s top 3 performances in ODIs
3. 140(127) vs IND, Ahmedabad, 2002
Chris Gayle was on fire after India invited West Indies to bat first in the fourth ODI of the 2002 series in Ahmedabad. He slammed 140 off 127 deliveries with the help of 12 fours and five sixes. His scintillating ton and Ramnaresh Sarwan’s 99 helped the Windies reach 324/4 in 50 overs. However, India won the match by five wickets on the back of Rahul Dravid’s brilliant century.
2. 162(97) vs ENG, St George’s, 2019
Centuries, half-centuries and boundaries rained down as England and West Indies locked horns in the fourth ODI of the 2019 series. Batting first, Jonny Bairstow and Alex Hales amassed the fifties to give a solid start for the English side. Later, captain Eoin Morgan and Jos Buttler scored hundreds to take the team to a mammoth 418/6 in 50 overs.
In reply, West Indies had a similarly fiery start to their innings but failed to sustain the momentum. Darren Bravo (61 off 59) and Chris Gayle put on a partnership of more than 170 runs for the third wicket. Gayle was at his best as he racked up a staggering 162 off 97 balls, a knock that was powered by 11 fours and 14 sixes. Although Carlos Brathwaite (50 off 36) and Ashley Nurse (43 off 41) played a fighting knock later in the innings, West Indies lost the game by 29 runs.
1. 215(147) vs ZIM, Canberra, 2015, ODI WC
Gayle produced a sensational performance against Zimbabwe in the 2015 ODI World Cup. He amassed a record-breaking 215 off 147 balls, including 10 fours and 16 sixes. The southpaw was well-supported by Marlon Samuels (133* off 156), who teamed up to take the Windies total to a humongous 372/2. Although Zimbabwe put up an impressive show, they lost the game by 73 runs. Gayle is the first and only Caribbean cricketer to score an ODI double hundred. He held the record for the fastest double century in ODIs until Ishan Kishan broke it in 2022 when he achieved the feat in 126 balls against Bangladesh.