Chris Gayle's England affair
Universe Boss, Chris Gayle, turned 38 yesterday. Having made his ODI debut against India in Toronto in 1999, he completed 18 years in international cricket earlier this month.
From representing West Indies for years across formats to becoming the best T20 batsman around the globe, he has come a long way in his career.
Gayle, who has been recalled to the West Indies ODI side for the ongoing series in England, has added a whole new zeal to the team. His presence at the top of the order does not only aid his team, but also develops a fear in the minds of the opposition as well. Such is the aura of the big man!
He displayed signs of brilliance with the bat in the one-off T20I and the first ODI before injuring himself in the second ODI at Trent Bridge. There have been reports that he is likely to undergo a scan on his right hamstring. Persistent rains in Nottingham resulted in the abandonment of the second ODI and West Indies' team management would be hoping to have the big man back for the third ODI, at Bristol.
Over the course of his international career, he has played seven ODI series in England, with the current one being his eighth.
Out of the 270 ODIs that Gayle has played, 27 have come against England. He has scored 1,036 runs against the English at an average of 43.16 and a strike rate of 84.29, including two centuries and five half-centuries. He has played 14 of these 27 matches in England, scoring 557 runs at an average of 50.63 and a toned down strike rate of 74.96.
Overall, in England, he has scored 880 runs in 27 matches at an average of 38.26 and a further toned down strike rate of 72.30. Here is a detailed description of how Gayle has performed in ODIs in England:
NatWest Series 2000
A triangular ODI series in England was a tradition in earlier times. Zimbabwe were the third nation which took part in the tournament in 2000. Having won a solitary match during the league stage, West Indies failed to qualify for the finals. Gayle played all of the six matches, scoring 113 runs at a meagre average and strike rate of 22.60 and 48.49 respectively.
He opened the innings in three matches alongside Sherwin Campbell. In the first match, he scored 41(86) with the help of six fours. The next match against England was washed out due to rain. Gayle scored 6 and 37 in the matches that he opened while in the two matches that he batted at No. 5, he scored 26 and 3 respectively.