Cricket is not a game, it is an emotion. When it comes to emotion, entertainment and pure power hitting, only one name comes to mind Universal Boss Chris Gayle.
A player who didn’t just play the game, but lived it and enjoyed it. He made the spectators feel like they were playing the game. When such a batsman came to the screen, the ball would fly over the boundary.
How did a seemingly ordinary boy become one of the world’s most dangerous T20 batsmen? One man shook the entire cricketing world not with his game, but with his attitude. Chris Gayle’s journey isn’t about scoring runs or hitting sixes, but about the struggles he endured throughout his life, and his records.
Chris Gayle belongs to a small family but his journey has been quite inspiring. Chris Gayle’s date of birth Born on 24 September 1979 in Kingston Jamaica.
At a very young age, he proved his strong physical abilities. Chris Gayle started playing for the West Indies Under-19 team. From here, Chris Gayle’s journey to playing professional cricket began. In a very short time, Chris Gayle started building a strong base. He impressed the selectors with his unique style. After this, Chris Gayle got a chance to play in the U-19 World Cup 1998. And in this World Cup, Chris Gayle became the top scorer for West Indies.
Chris Gayle made his career in ODI cricket
This performance made the path ahead much easier for Gayle. Chris Gayle got the chance to make his first class debut for Jamaica in 1998. Chris Gayle continued to impress the selectors in the Jamaica match. Chris Gayle’s bat was speaking louder every day. Hence the selectors gave him a chance to debut in an international match. One year after his debut in 1998, i.e. in 1999, Chris Gayle joined the West Indies cricket team. His first cricket match was against the Indian team. “Chris Gayle could not give a special performance in his first international match.” While batting, he scored only 01 run, his start in international cricket was not that good.
Chris Gayle made his career in ODI cricket. His first year in ODI cricket was full of struggle. He was scoring few runs in batting and his magic was not visible in bowling. It did not take much time for Chris Gayle to come back in the match. On 16 March 2000 Chris Gayle made his Test debut against Zimbabwe. The first few years in white ball cricket were not good for Chris Gayle. But he deserved the recognition he got in Test cricket. Soon he included his name in the list of top openers of the world.
The year 2002 was a career breaking point for Chris Gayle.
Chris Gayle’s first ODI century was a turning point in his career, and he never looked back. His aggression and unique style gradually became apparent. The year 2002 was a career turning point for Gayle. He reached that milestone in 2013, scoring 4 centuries and 14 double centuries in ODI cricket.
1. In the ODI match held in 2002, West Indies team win by 4-3.
2. Chris Gayle played the biggest role in making the West Indies team win.
3. Chris Gayle played a total of 7 matches in this series.
4. 65- Average with 455 runs, 3 (100) and 1 (50) in this match.
After the India match, Chris Gayle played his biggest innings against New Zealand, scoring a double century. 2002 became a memorable year for Gayle. It was in this year that he made a name for himself in world cricket, not just with his batting, but also with his bowling. That year, Gayle took a total of 33 wickets at an average of 23.20, establishing him as a batting all-rounder in world cricket.
Chris Gayle became the West Indies’ opening batsman in the 2003 ODI World Cup. This was Gayle’s first ODI World Cup. His half-centuries against Sri Lanka and Kenya during the tournament made him the West Indies’ biggest star. However, the West Indies lost the 2003 World Cup, and Chris Gayle played a major role in that event.
2004 ICC Champions Trophy
The year 2004 marked the beginning of the ICC Champions Trophy. The tournament saw the world’s leading teams clash with each other, and this time the stakes were even higher.
The fourth edition of the ICC Champions Trophy was hosted in England. The tournament ran from September 10th to September 25th, featuring 15 matches. A total of 12 teams participated in the tournament, divided into four groups.
1. Group A: Australia, New Zealand, USA
2. Group B: West Indies, South Africa, Bangladesh
3. Group C: India, Pakistan, keniya
4. Group D: England Sri Lanka Zimbabwe
But in 2004, Chris Gayle got another opportunity with the West Indies team. The ICC Champions Trophy, and the West Indies team had a chance to bring back the world crown. In this tournament, each team had two free matches before the final, so there was a need for a player who could dominate the first match. Here, the universal Boos Chris Gayle played the role. Chris Gayle, opening the innings, played an inning of 99 runs in the very first match and put his team ahead in the race for the final.
After this, West Indies not only qualified for the final but also won the ICC Champions Trophy by defeating top competitor Australia in the final. Chris Gayle became the biggest hero of this Champions Trophy. Along with white ball cricket, he also made his mark in Test cricket. Chris Gayle scored 1135 runs in Test cricket in the year 2004 with an average of 54.04. His highest score in this was 141.
Then in the year 2005, Chris Gayle played the biggest match winning innings of his Test career. A four test match series was played between South Africa and West Indies in 2005. In this 4th test match, Chris Gayle played a match winning innings for his team. In this, he scored 300 runs. He scored the first triple century of his Test match career. After this match, Chris Gayle joined the elite group of players who scored triple centuries in Test cricket. And that time came when Chris Gayle got the tag of Universal Boss.
In the 2006 Champions Trophy, a normal player became the universal boss.
The West Indies failed to claim the title. However, Chris Gayle scored 474 runs throughout the tournament, becoming the highest scorer in the Champions Trophy. Chris Gayle was awarded the Player of the Tournament award for his eighth wicket.
This player made the world believe that anything can happen in cricket. Chris Gayle, the player who reigned supreme in Test cricket for years, and the West Indies team’s roots in T20 cricket.T20 cricket