Chris Gayle is one of the best batters from the West Indies. The former opener was a main player in the West Indies batting lineup for nearly two decades. Initially, Gayle was a dashing opener, who could bowl a bit as well. The Southpaw had a lack of support from his teammates. But that did not stop him from becoming one of the best of his time.
In ODIs, Gayle played some of the best knocks by a batter from the West Indies. Many suck knocks came against strong opponents and against quality bowling attacks. Considering how long Gayle’s career was, one can find many good knocks from his career. But here are the top 3 best knocks played by the West Indian batter in ODIs.
3. 162(97) against England in 2019
It was the fourth ODI of the series against England, the world number 1 ODI side back then. Batting first, England scored a mammoth total of 418 runs on the board. Eoin Morgan and Jos Buttler scored hundreds for England, who were assisted well by fifty from Jonny Bairstow and Alex Hales. If West Indies had to have any chance in the match, the opening had to be good.
Gayle played one of the innings of his life. The opener scored 162 runs in just 97 balls, which included 11 fours and 14 sixes. Against an attack consisting of Chris Woakes, Mark Wood, Adil Rashid, Liam Plunkett, Ben Stokes, and Moeen Ali, Gayle single handedly kept his team alive in the match. West Indies scored 389 runs and lost the match by only 29 runs.
2. 133(135) against South Africa in 2006
It was the second semifinal of the 2006 Champions Trophy in Jaipur. On a slow track, South Africa batted first and managed to score 258 runs in their 50 overs. On the big day, West Indies needed Gayle to bat longer. The Southpaw did exactly that. Gayle just batted, batted, and batted, till West Indies knocked South Africa out of the tournament.
In his stay in the middle, Gayle scored an unbeaten 133*(135), which included 17 fours and 3 sixes. The South African attack had some very good bowlers like Shaun Pollock, Makhaya Ntini, Jacques Kallis, Andre Nel, and Robin Peterson. The knock of Gayle ensured that West Indies won the match by 6 wickets, when no one expected them to defeat South Africa.
1. 215(147) against Zimbabwe in 2015
It was the day history was created in the ODI World Cup. Batting first in Canberra, West Indies lost Dwayne Smith for a duck in the second ball of the match. What followed it was the madness of the swashbuckling opener. Along with Marlon Samuels, Gayle was involved in a sensational 372-run partnership for the second wicket.
In the process, Gayle became the first ever cricketer to score a double hundred in the ODI World Cup. Though the attack of Zimbabwe was not that good, Gayle rescued the West Indies from a potential collapse. The West Indian star batter scored 215 runs in 147 balls, which included 10 fours and 16 monstrous sixes. Gayle demolished the Zimbabwean attack completely.