 | ||||
| Personal information | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Christopher Henry Gayle | |||
| Born | 21 September 1979 Kingston, Jamaica | |||
| Height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | |||
| Batting style | Left-handed | |||
| Bowling style | Right arm off break | |||
| Role | All-Rounder | |||
| International information | ||||
| National side | West Indies | |||
| Test debut | 16 March 2000 v Zimbabwe | |||
| Last Test | 5 December 2010 v Sri Lanka | |||
| ODI debut | 11 September 1999 v India | |||
| Last ODI | 6 February 2011 v Sri Lanka | |||
| ODI shirt no. | 45 | |||
| Domestic team information | ||||
| Years | Team | |||
| 1998–2008, 2010 - | Jamaica | |||
| 2005 | Worcestershire | |||
| 2009– | Western Australia Warriors | |||
| 2008–2010 | Kolkata Knight Riders | |||
| 2011- | Royal Challengers Bangalore | |||
| Career statistics | ||||
| Competition | Test | ODI | FC | LA |
| Matches | 91 | 223 | 165 | 284 |
| Runs scored | 6,373 | 7,917 | 12,127 | 10,138 |
| Batting average | 41.65 | 39.00 | 44.74 | 39.60 |
| 100s/50s | 13/33 | 19/42 | 29/59 | 21/58 |
| Top score | 333 | 153* | 333 | 153* |
| Balls bowled | 6,857 | 6,900 | 12,133 | 8,930 |
| Wickets | 72 | 156 | 129 | 210 |
| Bowling average | 41.59 | 34.91 | 38.87 | 32.17 |
| 5 wickets in innings | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| 10 wickets in match | 0 | n/a | 0 | n/a |
| Best bowling | 5/34 | 5/46 | 5/34 | 5/46 |
| Catches/stumpings | 85/– | 96/– | 143/– | 118/– |
| Source: Cricinfo, 6 February 2011 | ||||
Career
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 11 months later, and his first Test match 6 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.However, generally speaking he 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 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 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 was named Player of the 2006 Champions Trophy, where the West Indies nearly defended the title which they won in 2004, being defeated in the final by Australia. Gayle scored three centuries and totaled 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.
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. One of the sixes hit the Lillee Marsh stand's roof in a monstrous hit that was estimated by commentator, Ian Healy, to be approx 140 metres long. On 16 November 2010, he became the fourth cricketer to score two triple centuries in Test cricket after Donald Bradman, Brian Lara and Virender Sehwag.[2
Twenty20
Gayle holds the record for the highest innings in a Twenty20 International, having scored 117 against South Africa in the first match of the 2007 World Twenty20,[3] His innings was the first century in international Twenty20 cricket, and one of only four scored to date (the other three being Brendon McCullum's 116 not out, Suresh Raina's 101 and Mahela Jayawardene's 100). Because of this, he, Jayawardene, Suresh Raina and McCullum share the honour of being the only batsmen to score a century in each of international cricket's three formats.[4] 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. 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 at all. On 1 July 2009, Gayle signed with the Western Australia Warriors for the Australian Domestic Twenty20 tournament known as the Big Bash for the 2009–10 season.
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.[1] 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.[5]
In 2011, after being left out of the initial part of the West Indies T20 and one-day home series against Pakistan, Gayle opted to join the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the fourth edition of the Indian Premier League.[6] In his first game against his previous team Kolkata Knight Riders, he scored 102 off 55 balls, hitting 10 fours and 7 sixes.[7] On May 6, 2011, he scored another century, 107 off 49 balls against the Kings XI Punjab, which included 10 fours and 9 sixes.[8] In the next match against Kochi Tuskers Kerala, he scored 37 runs in one over, which included 3 sixes, 3 fours and a no ball which was hit for a six.[9] Although many people cite him as having hit the over for 37, one run was awarded as an extra due to the no ball. He can therefore be said to have hit 36 off an over which went for 37. He and Adam Gilchrist are the only batsmen to score two centuries in the IPL.
Controversies
Despite being regarded as a calm, cool cricketer, Gayle has been involved in a few controversies.[10] In 2005 Gayle was involved in the dispute between the West Indies Cricket Board and a number of players over sponsorship issues. These players had personal sponsorship deals with Cable and Wireless, who used to sponsor West Indian cricket. However, since the West Indies had recently become sponsored by Cable and Wireless' rivals Digicel the West Indies Cricket Board demanded the players dropped their Cable and Wireless deals. When the players refused to back down, the West Indies Cricket Board dropped them for the first Test against South Africa.[11] Gayle later cut his deal with Cable and Wireless and rejoined the side for the second Test. He was charged with conduct contrary to the spirit of cricket during a Test against New Zealand in March 2006, but was subsequently found not guilty.[12] Later that year, during October's Champions Trophy tournament in India, he was fined 30 percent of his match fee after repeated verbal exchanges with the Australian batsman Michael Clarke.[13] He also publicly criticised the West Indies Cricket Board during the 2007 tour of England which led to an official reprimand and warning.[14]Gayle also received criticism in early 2009 during West Indies' tour of England, where he commentated that he did not want to captain the West Indies anymore given the pressures involved, and that he "wouldn't be so sad" if Test cricket was superseded by Twenty20 cricket in the future.[1] From the West Indies, both Viv Richards and Gary Sobers criticised Gayle's comments, as did opposite number Andrew Strauss.[15] Gayle later commented that his statement had been quoted out of context, according to Julian Hunte, President of the West Indies Cricket Board.[16] In an interview with Michael Atherton at the conclusion of a West Indies defeat in their tour of England, Gayle stated that he was not going to resign the captaincy.[17]
Player statistics
- In the column Runs, * indicates being not out.
- The column title Match refers to the Match Number of his career.
| Test Centuries of Chris Gayle[18] | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | Runs | Match | Against | City/Country | Venue | Year | Result |
| 1 | 175 | 10 |  Zimbabwe | Bulawayo, Zimbabwe | Queens Sports Club | 2001 | Won |
| 2 | 204 | 23 |  New Zealand | St. George's, Grenada | National Cricket Stadium | 2002 | Drawn |
| 3 | 116 | 36 |  South Africa | Cape Town, South Africa | Newlands | 2004 | Drawn |
| 4 | 107 | 37 | South Africa | Centurion, South Africa | SuperSport Park | 2004 | Lost |
| 5 | 141 | 42 |  Bangladesh | Gros Islet, St Lucia | Beausejour Cricket Ground | 2004 | Drawn |
| 6 | 105 | 47 |  England | London, England | The Oval | 2004 | Lost |
| 7 | 317 | 50 | South Africa | St. John's, Antigua | Antigua Recreation Ground | 2005 | Drawn |
| 8 | 197 | 75 | New Zealand | Napier, New Zealand | McLean Park | 2008 | Drawn |
| 9 | 104 | 76 | England | Kingston, Jamaica | Sabina Park | 2009 | Won |
| 10 | 104 | 80 | England | Port of Spain, Trinidad | Queen's Park Oval | 2009 | Drawn |
| 11 | 165* | 84 |  Australia | Adelaide, Australia | Adelaide Oval | 2009 | Drawn |
| 12 | 102 | 85 | Australia | Perth, Australia | WACA Ground | 2009 | Lost |
| 13 | 333 | 89 |  Sri Lanka | Galle, Sri Lanka | Galle International Stadium | 2010 | Drawn |
One Day International Centuries
Twenty20 International Centuries
| Twenty20 International Centuries of Chris Gayle[20] | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | Runs | Match | Against | City/Country | Venue | Year | Result |
| 1 | 117* | 4 | South Africa | Johannesburg, South Africa | The Wanderers Stadium | 2007 | Lost |