There aren’t many T20 records that have been hidden from the Universe Boss. Name a T20 batting record and his name will feature on almost every list. From strike rates to number of sixes to centuries and much more, Chris Gayle has etched his name in T20 history books, with records internationally as well as in every T20 franchise league across the world.
And wile he’s caused fireworks in all these multiple franchise tournaments, his home league was no exception as he shattered many records in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) as well. Today we’re going to talk about the first time he reached the 3-figure mark in the Caribbean T20 tournament, which was also incidentally the first entry in the overall CPL centuries list of all-time as well.
Throwback – Chris Gayle century in CPL 2014
On 12 July 2014, St Lucia Zouks won the toss and elected to bat first against Jamaica Tallawahs and they put up a par score of 161/5 in their 20 overs. Actually, it was a sub-par score considering the Boss was a part of the opposition squad. Henry Davids top scored for the Zouks with 56(38) while Andre Russell was the top bowler or the Tallawahs with 2/27.
If someone like a Chris Gayle ticks off at the top of the order, these chases that need 8 runs per over can be made a mockery of, and that’s precisely what he did here against a tame Zouks bowling attack in Grenada. He came out to bat with Chadwick Walton at the top of the innings and the latter was out soon after getting a brisk 23(12).
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Sporting sunglasses under his helmet, Gayle feasted on some mediocre bowling and scored boundaries at ease, ensuring he took down this target of 162 in just 19 overs and securing a 7-wicket victory for the defending champions. He makes hitting looks easy and that’s what happened here too, hitting 5 fours and as many as 10 sixes in this knock.
Gayle had a poor IPL 2014 with only 196 runs through the season but when he came back home to CPL 2014, he seemed to have rediscovered his mojo, scoring 111(63)* in this match-winning innings, and taking a particular liking to Mervin Matthew who sadly ended with 1/54 in his very expensive 4 overs. Take a look at that knock here:
Happy Birthday to the Universe Boss @henrygayle . Check out his and our first ever 100 at CPL. What an innings, 111 not out. #CPL20 #HappyBirthday #ChrisGayle #BiggestPartyInSport pic.twitter.com/CaTRn5dhWc
— CPL T20 (@CPL) September 21, 2020
After Adam Voges was dismissed on the third ball of the 19th over, Gayle decided to finish it off in style, hitting Matthew for 6 and 4, before getting a single to get over the line. Gayle brought up not only the first CPL century of all-time but also his first of many CPL centuries to come over the years. It also went on to become the highest score of the CPL 2014 season, where Dwayne Smith and Marlon Samuels also got centuries.
It’s safe to say that Gayle is a T20 cricket legend, with records in all the franchise leagues in the world including CPL where he’s among the top run scorers. While he’s almost always sporting a carefree attitude when he’s at the crease, Gayle was committed to finishing this game off himself and that’s what he did. He was obviously the player of the match for this knock on this day!
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