Christopher Henry Gayle,
OD (born 21 September 1979) is a Jamaican
cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by st ...
er who has been playing international cricket for the
West Indies
The West Indies is a subregion of North America, surrounded by the North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea that includes 13 independent island countries and 18 dependencies and other territories in three major archipelagos: the Great ...
since 1999. A destructive batter, Gayle is widely regarded as one of the greatest batsmen to have played
Twenty20 cricket, and by some as the best ever. He played a crucial role in the West Indies teams that won
2004 ICC Champions Trophy,
2012 ICC World Twenty20 and
2016 ICC World Twenty20.
He has set numerous records across all three formats of the game. He is the most capped player for the West Indies in international cricket and is the only player to score a triplet of centuries – a triple hundred in Tests, double hundred in ODIs and a hundred in T20Is. Gayle is the only player to score more than 14000 runs and hit more than 1000 sixes in T20 cricket
He is also the leading run scorer for West Indies in both ODI's and T20I's and along with
Brian Lara
Brian Charles Lara, (born 2 May 1969) is a Trinidadian former international cricketer, widely acknowledged as one of the greatest batsmen of all time. He topped the Test batting rankings on several occasions and holds several cricketing ...
the only player to score more than 10,000 runs for West Indies in ODI Cricket. In addition to his batting, He has picked up over 200 International Wickets with his Right-arm offbreak spin bowling. He was awarded the Most Valuable Player in the
2011 Indian Premier League and held the
Orange Cap in 2012. On 23 April 2013, He broke the record for the fastest ever T20 hundred in his landmark knock of 175 runs from 66 balls for
Royal Challengers Bangalore against
Pune Warriors India in the
IPL, which is also the highest score ever by a batsman in T20 history. He also equaled the record for the fastest 50 in T20 cricket while playing for Melbourne Renegades in the Big Bash League.
Playing Tests, He has scored over 7000 runs at an average of over 42 and captained the West Indian Test side from 2007 to 2010. He last played in a Test match in September 2014, against
Bangladesh
Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million pe ...
. After initially expressing his desire to retire from ODI's after the
2019 Cricket World Cup He nonetheless played in the ODI series against India after the World Cup playing his final and 301st ODI match wearing the special jersey number 301 in August 2019, against
India
India, officially the Republic of India ( Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the ...
. In December 2020, Gayle was included in the
ICC T20I Team of the Decade.
In September 2021, he was included in the West Indies squad for
2021 ICC Men's T20 World Cup.
Early career
Gayle started his cricket career with
Lucas Cricket Club in
Kingston, Jamaica.
Gayle claimed: "If it was not for Lucas, I don't know where I would be today. Maybe on the streets"
Lucas Cricket Club's nursery has been named in honour of Gayle.
He was made captain of the West Indies side in the ICC T20 World Cup 2009 after getting criticized for playing in the IPL 2008 and missing an international series a few months before. Gayle scored a quickfire 88 in the opening game of the tournament and helped the Windies beat the mighty Australians. They lost in the semi-final to Sri Lanka.
International career
Debut years
Gayle first played at the international level as a youth where he topscored for the Windies at the
1998 Under-19 Cricket World Cup. He eventually made his
first-class debut in 1998, at age 19 for Jamaica. He played his first
One Day International
A One Day International (ODI) is a form of limited overs cricket, played between two teams with international status, in which each team faces a fixed number of overs, currently 50, with the game lasting up to 9 hours. The Cricket World Cup ...
eleven months later in 1999, and his first
Test match six months after that. Gayle went on to establish himself as a destructive batsman who's most effective whilst 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
Bulawayo (, ; Ndebele: ''Bulawayo'') is the second largest city in Zimbabwe, and the largest city in the country's Matabeleland region. The city's population is disputed; the 2022 census listed it at 665,940, while the Bulawayo City Council ...
when they put on 214 together against
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe (), officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country located in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the south-west, Zambia to the north, and Mozam ...
.
He did coaching for PAF KIET University.
Rise in ranks

Gayle had a slow start to his international career, but invigorated it in 2002, ending the year with three centuries against
India
India, officially the Republic of India ( Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the ...
in November and becoming the third West Indian to score over 1,000 runs in a calendar year, along with
Vivian Richards
Sir Isaac Vivian Alexander Richards (born 7 March 1952) is an Antiguan retired cricketer who represented the West Indies cricket team between 1974 and 1991. Batting generally at number three in a dominant West Indies side, Richards is widely ...
and
Brian Lara
Brian Charles Lara, (born 2 May 1969) is a Trinidadian former international cricketer, widely acknowledged as one of the greatest batsmen of all time. He topped the Test batting rankings on several occasions and holds several cricketing ...
. He is one of only six players in
One Day International
A One Day International (ODI) is a form of limited overs cricket, played between two teams with international status, in which each team faces a fixed number of overs, currently 50, with the game lasting up to 9 hours. The Cricket World Cup ...
history to have three or more scores of 150. In 2005, Gayle was dropped for the first Test against
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring count ...
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
Denagamage Praboth Mahela de Silva Jayawardene ( si, දෙනගමගේ ප්රබෝත් මහේල ද සිල්වා ජයවර්ධන; born 27 May 1977) is a former Sri Lankan cricketer who is the current consultant coach ...
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
A congenital heart defect (CHD), also known as a congenital heart anomaly and congenital heart disease, is a defect in the structure of the heart or great vessels that is present at birth. A congenital heart defect is classed as a cardiovascula ...
causing a
cardiac dysrhythmia. He underwent
heart surgery following the series to correct the defect.
Gayle was only the fourth West Indian
to carry his bat in a Test innings.

In August 2005, Gayle joined
Worcestershire
Worcestershire ( , ; written abbreviation: Worcs) is a county in the West Midlands of England. The area that is now Worcestershire was absorbed into the unified Kingdom of England in 927, at which time it was constituted as a county (see H ...
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
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team ...
. 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 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
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...
in the West Indies' final match.
Gayle made the first
century in international Twenty20 cricket, scoring 117 against South Africa in the first match of the
2007 World Twenty20
The 2007 ICC World Twenty20 was the inaugural Twenty20 International cricket world championship, contested in South Africa from 11 to 24 September 2007. Twelve teams took part in the thirteen-day tournament—the ten Test-playing nations and the ...
. The innings made him the first batsman to score a century in each of international cricket's three formats. This stood alone as the record score in a T20I until 19 February 2012, when South Africa's
Richard Levi scored 117
n.o. against
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 List of islands of New Zealand, smaller islands. It is the ...
, and was eventually exceeded by
Brendon McCullum of New Zealand later that year.
In the semi-final match of the
2009 World Twenty20
The 2009 ICC World Twenty20 was an international Twenty20 cricket tournament organised by the International Cricket Council (ICC) that took place in England in June 2009. It was the second ICC World Twenty20 tournament, following the inaugural ...
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 bought by the franchise
Kolkata Knight Riders in the
Indian Premier League player auction, but missed the opening games due to a
Sri Lankan 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.
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.
On 17 December 2009 in the Australia v West Indies 3rd Test Chris Gayle scored the then fifth-fastest century in Test match history, taking just 70 balls to reach 100, including nine fours and six sixes. He was dismissed two balls later for 102 runs. On 16 November 2010, he became the fourth cricketer to score two triple centuries in Test cricket after
Donald Bradman
Sir Donald George Bradman, (27 August 1908 – 25 February 2001), nicknamed "The Don", was an Australian international cricketer, widely acknowledged as the greatest batsman of all time. Bradman's career Test cricket, Test batting average (c ...
,
Brian Lara
Brian Charles Lara, (born 2 May 1969) is a Trinidadian former international cricketer, widely acknowledged as one of the greatest batsmen of all time. He topped the Test batting rankings on several occasions and holds several cricketing ...
and
Virender Sehwag.
On his return to Test cricket in July 2012, he scored 150 on the third day of the first Test against New Zealand.
Gayle scored 75 runs from 41 balls, fuelling West Indies' total of 205, against Australia in the
2012 ICC World Twenty20 semi-final, which was the highest total of the tournament.
In November 2012, during the
First Test against Bangladesh in Dhaka, Gayle became the first player in the history of Test cricket to hit a six off the first ball of a match.
In 2013, during the
Third Test against Zimbabwe, Gayle surpassed
Brian Lara
Brian Charles Lara, (born 2 May 1969) is a Trinidadian former international cricketer, widely acknowledged as one of the greatest batsmen of all time. He topped the Test batting rankings on several occasions and holds several cricketing ...
's record of the most sixes in Test cricket by a West Indian cricketer.
Late career
In February 2015, Gayle became the fourth cricketer to score a double century in ODIs, and the first ever to do so in World Cup history, when he made 215 during a pool game against Zimbabwe in the
2015 ICC Cricket World Cup in
Canberra. 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.
Coincidentally, he was almost adjudged out on the 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.
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.

Chris Gayle ended his List-A career for Jamaica with a match-winning century against Barbados in a Super50 Cup 2018. On 18 February 2019, Gayle announced that he would retire from ODIs after the
2019 Cricket World Cup.
He reversed this decision in June 2019.
In April 2019, he was named in the
West Indies' squad for the
2019 Cricket World Cup, which marked his fifth consecutive World Cup appearance (2003, 2007, 2011, 2015, 2019). On 31 May 2019, in the West Indies' opening match of the World Cup, Gayle scored his 40th six in World Cup matches, the most by any batsman in World Cup history, surpassing
AB de Villiers's record of 37. In the West Indies' match against
Australia, Gayle scored his 1,000th run in the Cricket World Cup. On 1 July 2019, in the match against
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...
, Gayle became the most capped player for the West Indies in international cricket, playing in his 455th match.
Three days later, in the West Indies' final match of the 2019 Cricket World Cup, against
Afghanistan
Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bord ...
, Gayle became the most-capped player for the West Indies in the Cricket World Cup, playing in his 35th match. In the same match he also equalled
Brian Lara
Brian Charles Lara, (born 2 May 1969) is a Trinidadian former international cricketer, widely acknowledged as one of the greatest batsmen of all time. He topped the Test batting rankings on several occasions and holds several cricketing ...
's record of
playing in 299 ODIs for the West Indies.
In the next game against India, he played his 300th ODI match, the only West Indian player to achieve that feat. He also broke the record for the most runs for the West Indies in ODIs, surpassing
Brian Lara
Brian Charles Lara, (born 2 May 1969) is a Trinidadian former international cricketer, widely acknowledged as one of the greatest batsmen of all time. He topped the Test batting rankings on several occasions and holds several cricketing ...
. In the next match, he scored a breath-taking 72 of just 41 balls, in a knock having 5 maximums, as he led his team to a respectable total of 240 in 35 overs. Chasing a revised target of 255 in 35 overs via
DLS, India looked in a spot of bother, but Indian skipper Virat Kohli's unbeaten 114 cost them the match as India won the series 2–0.
In November 2020, Gayle was nominated for the ICC Men's T20I Cricketer of the Decade award. In February 2021, Gayle was recalled to West Indies' T20I squad after two-year absence and named in the T20I squad against
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...
. On 13 July 2021,
against Australia in the third T20I, Gayle scored his first T20I half-century in the format since 2016, scoring 67 off 38 deliveries.
In September 2021, Gayle was named in the West Indies' squad for the
2021 ICC Men's T20 World Cup.
Retirement
On 6 November 2021, Gayle played his last
T20I match against
Australia in the
Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium However he has not announced his retirement from international cricket yet. He wanted to retire in front of his home crowd in Jamaica.
Twenty20 cricket
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.

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. In his debut game against his previous team
Kolkata Knight Riders in their home ground, he scored 102 off 55 balls, hitting 10 fours and 7 sixes. On 6 May 2011, he scored another century, 107 off 49 balls in Bangalore against the
Kings XI Punjab, which included 10 fours and 9 sixes. 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 that was hit for a six. 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 that went for 37. Gayle won the Orange Cap Award for scoring the most runs in the tournament amassing 608 runs in 12 matches. He was instrumental in many victories for the Royal Challengers Bangalore and received five Man of the Match awards and also the Player of the Tournament award for his performances. In the
2011 Champions League Twenty20
The 2011 Champions League Twenty20 was the third edition of the Champions League Twenty20, an international Twenty20 cricket tournament. It was held in India from 19 September to 9 October 2011. It was the first edition after Nokia replaced Bhart ...
, Chris Gayle was the second highest run-scorer in the competition, behind
David Warner David or Dave Warner may refer to:
Sports
* Dave Warner (strongman) (born 1969), Northern Ireland strongman competitor
* David Bruce Warner (born 1970), South African alpine skier
* David Warner (cricketer) (born 1986), Australian cricketer
Others ...
, with 257 runs from 6 matches at an average of 42.83 and a top score of 92, and was one of the star players.
Following his prolific performances, Gayle was signed by Zimbabwean franchise
Matabeleland Tuskers
The Matabeleland Tuskers is one of five Zimbabwean cricket franchises. They are a first-class cricket team, based in the Bulawayo Metropolitan and Matabeleland North area. They play their home matches at Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo. They ...
, for the
2011-12 Stanbic Bank 20 Series. As Gayle later recalled it was valuable practice ahead of the
KFC Twenty20 Big Bash, where he had signed for the
Sydney Thunder. Gayle hoped his first appearance in the tournament was a success, and he gave the spectators something to cheer about. Gayle was the second West Indian to be signed in the event, after the legendary
Brian Lara
Brian Charles Lara, (born 2 May 1969) is a Trinidadian former international cricketer, widely acknowledged as one of the greatest batsmen of all time. He topped the Test batting rankings on several occasions and holds several cricketing ...
had signed for
Southern Rocks
The Southern Rocks is one of five Zimbabwean cricket franchises. They are a first-class cricket team, based in the Masvingo and Matabeleland South area. They play their home matches at Masvingo Sports Club in Masvingo. The team initially ceased t ...
the previous season.
Gayle enjoyed great success in that tournament. He was the leading run-scorer in that series with 293 runs, a top score of 109, and an average over 50, the best of the tournament. The only century Gayle scored in the event ended in defeat as
Mid West Rhinos
The Mid West Rhinos is one of the four cricket Zimbabwean cricket franchises. They are a first-class cricket team, based in Midlands Province and the Mashonaland West area. They play their home matches at Kwekwe Sports Club in Kwekwe.
Histor ...
's
Brendan Taylor
Brendan Ross Murray Taylor (born 6 February 1986) is a Zimbabwean former international cricketer and a former Zimbabwean captain, who played all formats of the game. Taylor is a right-handed batsman but is also an off spinner. In 2015, former Z ...
's outstanding 75* outlasted his team. The Tuskers could not win the tournament as they were overpowered by
Mashonaland Eagles's
Ryan ten Doeschate's brilliant 121* off 58 and despite Gayle scoring a half-century, it was not enough to see his home through.
Gayle also joined the
Barisal Burners in the
Bangladesh Premier League, and had scored two centuries at more than a run-a-ball.
In the
2012 IPL season, Gayle hit the most sixes (59) and was nominated for the
orange cap for making 733 in 14 matches.
Gayle was selected for team
Uva Next for the inaugural
Sri Lanka Premier League in 2012, but did not play for the team due to injury.
Gayle started off his
2013 IPL season
The 2013 season of the Indian Premier League, abbreviated as IPL 6 or Pepsi IPL 2013, was the sixth season of the IPL, established by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) in 2007. The tournament featured nine teams and was held fro ...
scoring 92 not out from 58 balls, hitting 11 fours and four sixes against the Mumbai Indians. His innings helped his side to victory, and he was awarded the
man of the match
In team sport, a player of the match or man of the match or woman of the match award is often given to the most outstanding player in a particular match. This can be a player from either team, although the player is generally chosen from the winn ...
. On 23 April 2013, during an IPL match against
Pune Warriors India, Gayle broke multiple scoring records. With an individual score of 175 not out off 66 balls and a century reached in 30 balls, Gayle set records for the fastest century reached in any format of cricket, the highest individual score in a T20 match, and the most sixes scored in a single innings in the IPL.
He also took two wickets in the match.
At the launch of the
Caribbean Premier League, Gayle was announced as the first franchise player for the league.
During the
2015 T20 Blast
The 2015 NatWest t20 Blast was the second season of the NatWest t20 Blast, the English and Welsh Twenty20 cricket competition. The competition ran from 15 May 2015 to Finals Day at Edgbaston on 29 August. The competition was won for the first tim ...
season in England, Gayle represented
Somerset
( en, All The People of Somerset)
, locator_map =
, coordinates =
, region = South West England
, established_date = Ancient
, established_by =
, preceded_by =
, origin =
, lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset
, lor ...
and despite appearing in just 3 games for the county he contributed 328 runs including a score of 151 not out in a losing cause against
Kent
Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...
. The knock that came from 62 balls included 15 sixes and remains the highest T20 score at the
County Ground Taunton.
On 18 January 2016, in a match with the
Adelaide Strikers, Gayle set a new Big Bash League record for the fastest fifty and equaled the world record set by Indian batsman
Yuvraj Singh against England in the
2007 ICC World Twenty20. He reached 51 in just 12 deliveries which included seven sixes and smashed the previous record of 18 deliveries set by Strikers batsman
Tim Ludeman. He was dismissed shortly after for 56 off 17 balls by
Travis Head.
Gayle was signed by
Lahore Qalandars in 2016 for 200,000 dollars to play in the
Pakistan Super League (PSL). Gayle had his worst T20 league, citing back problems. He only scored 103 runs from five matches and was also out twice for a
golden duck, the most in his T20 career, by
Junaid Khan. Gayle returned for a second season of PSL in 2017, this time picked by
Karachi Kings
Karachi Kings ( ur, ; sd, ڪراچي ڪنگز) (abbreviated as KK) is a Pakistani professional franchise Twenty20 cricket team that competes in the Pakistan Super League (PSL). The team is based in Karachi, the provincial capital of Sindh, P ...
. He played 9 matches for the side, and scored merely 160 runs. This would be prove to be last outing for Gayle in PSL, as he wasn't picked by any side in the
2018 and
2019
File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...
drafts of the league. In
2021, he was picked by
Quetta Gladiators.
On 18 April 2017, Gayle reached the 10,000 runs milestone in T20 cricket after scoring 77 runs off 38 balls in a match against
Gujarat Lions where Royal Challengers Bangalore won by 21 runs. He was also awarded the man of the match which was his first in
IPL 2017
The 2017 season of the Indian Premier League, also known as IPL 10 and branded as Vivo IPL 2017, was the tenth edition of the IPL, a professional Twenty20 cricket league established by the BCCI in 2007. The tournament featured the eight teams ...
.
On 16 September 2017, Gayle became the first ever player to hit 100 T20I sixes.
On 28 January 2018, Gayle was bought by
Kings XI Punjab (Now
Punjab Kings) in the
2018 IPL Auction for his base price of ₹20 million. On 19 April, Gayle scored 104
* off 63 balls against
Sunrisers Hyderabad, and his team won the match by 15 runs. It was his 6th IPL century. Gayle was retained by the franchise for
IPL 2021
The 2021 Indian Premier League, also known as IPL 14, or for sponsorship reasons, Vivo IPL 2021, was the fourteenth season of the Indian Premier League (IPL), a professional Twenty20 cricket league established by the Board of Control for Cric ...
. He however left the tournament in the second leg, citing 'bio-bubble fatigue'.
In May 2018, Gayle was named as one of the ten marquee players for the
first edition of the
Global T20 Canada
The Global T20 Canada is a 20-over cricket tournament played in Canada. The first edition of the tournament took place during June and July 2018 with six teams competing. Each team featured four local Canadian cricketers in each squad, along w ...
cricket tournament.
On 3 June 2018, he was selected to play for the Vancouver Knights in the players' draft for the inaugural edition of the tournament.
In September 2018, he was named as the Icon Player for Balkh's squad in the
first edition of the
Afghanistan Premier League tournament. The following month, he was named in
Jozi Stars
Jozi Stars were a city-based franchise team of the South African Mzansi Super League (MSL) Twenty20 cricket tournament. The team was based at the New Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg.
Jozi Stars played in the first two editions of the MLS in 201 ...
' squad for the
first edition of the
Mzansi Super League T20 tournament. In June 2019, he was selected to play for the Vancouver Knights franchise team in the
2019 Global T20 Canada tournament. In September 2019, he was named in the squad for the
Jozi Stars
Jozi Stars were a city-based franchise team of the South African Mzansi Super League (MSL) Twenty20 cricket tournament. The team was based at the New Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg.
Jozi Stars played in the first two editions of the MLS in 201 ...
team for the
2019 Mzansi Super League
The 2019 Mzansi Super League, also known as the MSL 2.0, was the second edition of the Mzansi Super League (MSL) Twenty20 (T20) franchise cricket tournament in South Africa. It started on 8 November and ended on 16 December 2019. Jozi Stars were ...
tournament. In October 2020, he was drafted by the Kandy Tuskers for the
inaugural edition of the
Lanka Premier League. In November 2021, he was selected to play for the
Colombo Stars following the players' draft for the
2021 Lanka Premier League.
On 17 May 2022, Gayle was inducted into the RCB Hall of Fame (along with
AB de Villiers) for his contributions to the team between 2011 and 2017.
Twenty20 centuries
Playing for
Royal Challengers Bangalore, Gayle scored a 30-ball century, that became the highest individual T20 score (175 not out).
It eclipsed the previous mark set by
Brendon McCullum of
Kolkata Knight Riders.
Gayle holds the record for most centuries in T20 cricket (22), 15 more than his nearest rival Brendon McCullum. 15 out of his 22 T20 centuries have been
not out
In cricket, a batter is not out if they come out to bat in an innings and have not been dismissed by the end of an innings. The batter is also ''not out'' while their innings is still in progress.
Occurrence
At least one batter is not out at t ...
.
Technique and attitude
Gayle is known for his characteristic hitting, imposing physique, and timing. He attributes the latter to being very thin when young, and having a heavy bat.
He is known for appearing very calm as the bowler approaches. "Tall and imposing at the crease, he loves to carve through the covers off either foot, and has the ability to decimate the figures of even the thriftiest of opening bowlers" recorded ''Wisden'' and
ESPNcricinfo
ESPN cricinfo (formerly known as Cricinfo or CricInfo) is a sports news website exclusively for the game of cricket. The site features news, articles, live coverage of cricket matches (including liveblogs and scorecards), and ''StatsGuru'', a ...
.
He holds numerous records that reflect his batting style, including record Twenty20 strike-rates and high scores.
"It is instinct... We premeditate at times, but most of those things are instinct. When a fast bowler runs in to me, my breathing is controlled. So you keep a still head, slow down your breathing. Sometimes I actually hold my breath, so I can be as still and well-balanced as possible. If you get too excited, you overreact more, and with the adrenalin, you lose focus quickly."
Music
Chris Gayle launched a music career in November 2020 with a
dancehall
Dancehall is a genre of Jamaican popular music that originated in the late 1970s. Initially, dancehall was a more sparse version of reggae than the roots style, which had dominated much of the 1970s.Barrow, Steve & Dalton, Peter (2004) "The Ro ...
music video
A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing devi ...
called "We Come Out To Party".
Earlier in 2020, he had released a video about his partying lifestyle.
In April 2021, Gayle released a music video titled "Jamaica to India" in collaboration with the Indian rapper Emiway Bantai.
In September 2021, Gayle announced a song named 'Punjabi Daddy' and he will be seen in Sikh Turban look.
Personal life
Gayle's partner is Allysa Berridge. On 20 April 2016, Gayle announced the birth of his daughter on social media platform
Instagram
Instagram is a photo and video sharing social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. The app allows users to upload media that can be edited with filters and organized by hashtags and geographical tagging. Posts can ...
. On 9 September 2016, Gayle launched his autobiography ''Six Machine – I don't like cricket, I love it'.'' According to Forbes, Gayle has an estimated net worth of $15 million.
Controversies
Despite being regarded as a calm, cool cricketer,
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 & Wireless plc, Cable and Wireless, who used to sponsor West Indian cricket. However, since the West Indies had recently become sponsored by Cable and Wireless's 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
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring count ...
. 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 cricket team, New Zealand in March 2006 but was subsequently found not guilty. Later that year, during October's ICC Champions Trophy, Champions Trophy tournament in India, he was fined 30 percent of his match fee after repeated verbal exchanges with the Australia national cricket team, Australian batsman Michael Clarke (cricketer), Michael Clarke. He also publicly criticised the West Indies Cricket Board during the 2007 tour of England, which led to an official reprimand and warning.
Gayle also received criticism in early 2009 during West Indies' tour of England, where he commented that he did not want to captain the West Indies any more given the pressures involved, and that he "wouldn't be so sad" if Test cricket was superseded by Twenty20 cricket in the future.
From the West Indies, both Viv Richards and Gary Sobers criticised Gayle's comments, as did opposite number Andrew Strauss.
Gayle later commented that his statement had been quoted out of context, according to Julian Hunte, President of the West Indies Cricket Board.
In an interview with Mike 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.
In April 2011 Chris Gayle criticised the West Indies Cricket Board and coach Ottis Gibson and did not play for the team for more than a year. On 6 April 2012, Gayle and the WICB reached an understanding that paved the way for the former West Indies captain to return to the national team. On 25 June 2012, Gayle was chosen to be a part of the 2nd T20 and five-match one-day squad series starting on 30 June 2012, in the West Indies and Florida. They won the T20 series 2–0, in which Gayle was awarded man of the series, and the ODI series 4–1, in which Gayle made an aggressive century and half-century.
On 4 January 2016, while being interviewed by Network Ten commentator Mel McLaughlin during the 2015–16 Big Bash League season, Gayle said, "I just wanted to have an interview with you as well; that's why I batted so well," followed by, "Your eyes are beautiful; hopefully we can win this game and then we can have a drink after as well. Don't blush, baby". The comments were criticised by the Australian media, with former Australian test captain Ian Chappell encouraging Cricket Australia to ban him from playing in Australia again. Fellow female sports journalist Neroli Meadows stated that Gayle had been acting in such a way for years, and that he did it to "humiliate" women. Gayle said the comments were intended to be a joke. Melbourne Renegades sanctioned Gayle with a 10,000 fine for inappropriate conduct. On 30 October 2017, Chris Gayle won a defamation case against Fairfax Media after a jury found a series of articles published in 2016 which alleged he exposed himself to a masseuse were untrue and was awarded with $300k in damages for defamation.
The Chris Gayle Academy
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. 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

Gayle has scored 42 international centuries, which includes 15 Tests, 25 ODIs and 2 T20I centuries as of 13 July 2021. He was the first cricketer to score centuries in all formats of the game.
Records
International
#Highest run scorer for the West Indies in ODIs.
#Second West Indies player (after
Brian Lara
Brian Charles Lara, (born 2 May 1969) is a Trinidadian former international cricketer, widely acknowledged as one of the greatest batsmen of all time. He topped the Test batting rankings on several occasions and holds several cricketing ...
), and 14th overall, to pass 10,000 runs in ODIs.
#First (and so far only) batsman to score a triple century in Test cricket, double century in ODI cricket and a century in T20 internationals.
#In World Cup 2015, he hit the fastest ever ODI double century, against Zimbabwe, off 138 balls.
#Third batsman to score a century against eleven different countries in ODIs.
#Fastest ODI fifty by West Indies batsmen. (50 runs in 19 balls).
#Most runs in a single ICC Champions Trophy series (474 runs).
#Only player to hit the first ball of a Test match for six.
#Along with
Marlon Samuels, he holds the record for the highest ever ODI stand for any wicket (372 runs for 2nd wicket).
#Along with Devon Smith, he set the record for the highest opening stand in ICC World T20 history (145).
Domestic T20
#Leading run scorer in all forms of T20s.
#First batsman to score 10,000 T20 runs.
#Fastest batsman to score 4000 runs in
IPL.
#First and only batsman to hit 300 sixes in the IPL.
#Highest individual score in T20 with 175* (off 66 balls).
#Highest score by a player in T20 in a losing cause (151*).
#Joint record for fastest T20 half-century, in 12 balls.
#Most number of sixes in a T20 innings (18) during the 2017–18 Bangladesh Premier League.
T10
Joint Record, with Mohammad Shahzad and Waseem Muhammad for Fastest T10 Fifty in 12 Balls in the Abu Dhabi T10 in 2021.
Honours
West Indies
* ICC Champions Trophy – 2004 ICC Champions Trophy, 2004
*ICC Men's T20 World Cup, ICC World Twenty20 – 2012 ICC World Twenty20, 2012, 2016 ICC World Twenty20, 2016
Jamaica Tallawahs
*
Caribbean Premier League – 2013 Caribbean Premier League, 2013, 2016 Caribbean Premier League, 2016
Rangpur Riders
*
Bangladesh Premier League – 2017 Bangladesh Premier League, 2017
Vancouver Knights
*
Global T20 Canada
The Global T20 Canada is a 20-over cricket tournament played in Canada. The first edition of the tournament took place during June and July 2018 with six teams competing. Each team featured four local Canadian cricketers in each squad, along w ...
– 2018 Global T20 Canada, 2018
Balkh Legends
*
Afghanistan Premier League – 2018–19 Afghanistan Premier League, 2018
Notes
References
Further reading
* ''75 Years of West Indies Cricket 1928–2000'' by Ray Goble and Keith AP Sandiford
External links
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gayle, Chris
Jamaican cricketers
West Indies One Day International cricketers
West Indies Test cricketers
West Indies Twenty20 International cricketers
West Indies Test cricket captains
Cricketers at the 2003 Cricket World Cup
Cricketers at the 2007 Cricket World Cup
Cricketers at the 2011 Cricket World Cup
Cricketers at the 2015 Cricket World Cup
Cricketers at the 2019 Cricket World Cup
ICC World XI One Day International cricketers
1979 births
Living people
Kolkata Knight Riders cricketers
Sportspeople from Kingston, Jamaica
St Kitts and Nevis Patriots cricketers
Worcestershire cricketers
Matabeleland cricketers
Melbourne Renegades cricketers
Dhaka Dynamites cricketers
Royal Challengers Bangalore cricketers
Jamaica Tallawahs cricketers
Jamaica cricketers
Somerset cricketers
Barisal Bulls cricketers
Lahore Qalandars cricketers
Chittagong Vikings cricketers
Karachi Kings cricketers
Rangpur Rangers cricketers
Jozi Stars cricketers
Punjab Kings cricketers
Balkh Legends cricketers
Sydney Thunder cricketers
Quetta Gladiators cricketers
Jamaican expatriate sportspeople in India