Chris Gayle has proven once again that he is not just a player, but a destroyer of the cricket ball
Christopher Henry Gayle - bowlers all over the world must tremble with fear on hearing this name. Gayle's unique style of batting seems to have an unpredictable attitude towards the bowlers.
Either he must be a nightmare for the bowlers, or the bowlers must look at him with a sigh of relief - because they know that whatever you bowl to Gayle he will surely hit you out of the park if he wants to, and hence they will have to spend less time under the scorching sunlight if Gayle is in the middle.
Scoring 424 runs in just 4 ODI games with 39 humongous sixes, that too at the age of more than 39, is not a joke. With his exploits in the series against England, Gayle has not only defied all odds of claiming his place in the XI, but has also shown the world that he is the most dangerous and explosive Caribbean batsman and a great asset to his team.
Gayle played his last ODI about 6 months ago, and even before that he was quite irregular in the side. Then England came to West Indies and Gayle announced his intention to retire after the World Cup 2019; he stated that this was going to be his last series on Caribbean soil.
After winning the Test series the Windies were high on confidence and wanted to continue that winning momentum in the ODI series as well. So the platform was set for the 'Universe Boss', and the Windies fanbase had a lot of expectations from him.
Gayle showed no signs of pressure or fear, and continued his assassination of the cricket ball in the same way he used to at his peak. In the first match itself he posted a score of 135 and announced his revival.
But even after that innings a few eyebrows were raised regarding the pace of his scoring and his inability to rotate the strike. As it is rightly said though, don't judge someone until and unless you have walked a mile in his shoes.
Gayle silenced all the critics by playing miraculous innings in the 4th and the 5th ODIs. A 162 off 97 balls for a 39-year-old man is simply astonishing. In addition to this, the way he played in the 5th ODI, launching 9 sixes all around the stadium and finishing the chase in a mere 12.1 overs, had to be seen to be believed.
After winning the Man of the Series award, Gayle sheepishly said that maybe he could now reconsider his retirement. But as any cricket expert would tell him, he has earned the right to walk away whenever he wants to.
During this series Gayle achieved various milestones, the most notable of which were scoring 10,000 ODI runs and completing 500 sixes in international cricket (and taking the count to 515 by the end of the series). Moreover, he also hit the most sixes ever by an individual in a series.
All these achievements are a clear indication that the mighty Gayle is nowhere close to being done. He has now given immense belief to his side that they can be a quality side at the world stage.
After all, 424 runs and 39 sixes by a 39-year-old cricketer can boost the morale of any team.