Has the time arrived for "Universe Boss" Chris Gayle to walk into the sunset?
Christopher Henry Gayle has been an amazing servant, or rather boss, of the game of cricket for over two decades now. If there is ever a living legend of the shortest format of cricket, it has to be "Universe Boss" Chris Gayle.
The tall left-handed batsman has been a nightmare for bowlers all over the world. His awe-inspiring hitting ability has put many stadiums on fire. You might still find a few balls at Cubbon Park, where he has hit a few in the past while playing at his beloved Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore.
But just like all aspects of life and cricket, every good story must come to an end. And no one, including the Universe Boss, is immune to that law. His illustrious Test match career, which saw two triple centuries and three double centuries, came to an abrupt end in 2014. The last ODI he played for the West Indies was in 2019. But he is still part of the T20I set up of the Caribbean side.
Earlier this year, Chris Gayle opened up about plans for his future. Speaking to ANI on the sidelines of the Ultimate Kricket Challenge’ (UKC), Gayle said he has youth for at least two more World Cups.
“Oh yes, of course, no retirement plans as of now. I believe that I still have five more years, so before 45 no chance. And yes, two more World Cups to go,” Gayle said.
With a character as flamboyant as his exploits on the field, we never know exactly what to expect. But with the T20 World Cup looming over our shoulders, it is a good time to put a brake on and see if the 41-year-old is still capable of delivering the goods or if he has taken a bit too long, at least in the international arena.
Has the moment arrived for Chris Gayle to call it a day on his international career?
Chris Gayle is currently a regular feature of the West Indies T20I set-up. One could assume that he is part of the team’s plans for the T20 World Cup scheduled for later this year.
However, the Jamaican has hit an extended dry run with the bat for the West Indies. The last major contribution he made for the West Indies was a century against England way back in March 2016 during the previous edition of World T20.
In the period after that knock, he has totalled a paltry 223 runs across 21 matches at an average of under 12. Chris Gayle has not passed the 40-run mark in the past five years.
More importantly, his strike rate in the last five years has come down to 103 compared to a career strike rate of 138.
To top it all off, it wouldn’t be all that wrong to call Gayle a liability in the field. His captain has to find a place to hide him, which is almost always at the short fine-leg position. In the current era of athleticism and speed, one can seldom have a player who is almost always guilty of conceding an extra run.
The new incarnation at no.3 has failed miserably in the international arena
Pundits and fans were equally skeptical when Chris Gayle decided to try a new incarnation at no.3. For a batsman who has batted at the top throughout his career and whose primary strength is taking advantage of the field restrictions with big hits, it seemed like a bold move to drop him down the order.
Chris Gayle proved the skeptics wrong with his successful run at that position, initially for the Punjab Kings in the Indian Premier League (IPL) and later for some other franchises around the globe. He has scored 717 runs at an average of 34 and a strike rate of 140 over the last couple of years, predominantly batting at no.3.
This success must have prompted Kieron Pollard and the team's management to try him in a similar role for the West Indies side. Gayle was slotted into the new position for the first time in an international T20 match against Sri Lanka earlier this year.
This has continued during the series against South Africa and the ongoing one against Australia, though without much success. In nine matches so far across the three series, Chris Gayle has scored just 102 runs at an average under 13. The scoring rate has been below one run per ball, adding to his woes.
Unlike opening the batting, the no.3 position warrants the ability to turn the strike over. It is not easy to find boundaries with ease after the powerplay, especially when it comes to international cricket. And Chris Gayle has been found wanting in this aspect of the game.
Chris Gayle has been firing in the T20 franchise games
Indeed, Chris Gayle has never had a prolonged dip in form in franchise cricket. Even when he was having a tough time in the international arena, the southpaw managed to deliver the goods for his franchise teams.
If you look at Gayle’s IPL records, he has been able to average over 40 and strike over 135 consistently from 2018 to 2020, when many thought he had reached the fag end of his career. Even in the recently concluded first half of IPL 2021, he made three 40+ scores in eight innings, striking at over 130. But can we really take these performances into account when building a team for the World Cup?
There is a big difference in the quality of bowling units in franchise cricket compared to international T20s. Though there will be some international quality bowlers in each franchise side, one could always target two or three bowlers. But when you are playing T20Is, you hardly get a let off with five quality bowlers.
Let’s look at how Chris Gayle has performed against the best bowlers of the opposing sides in the IPL over the last two years.
If we compare this to the slightly lesser or more inexperienced bowlers whom he has faced, he has averaged just under 44, scoring 348 runs at a strike rate of 145.
Given his reliance on hand-eye coordination, this sharp contrast should not be a surprise, especially at his age now. Hence, the numbers in franchise cricket will be a lot skewed to consider for his international prowess at this point.
Time may be ripe for Chris Gayle to call it quits
West Indies are scheduled to play 15 T20Is in the run-up to the T20 World Cup. They are almost halfway through the schedule and one of the things that stands out is the dry run of Chris Gayle. His bat has produced scores of 32*, 8, 5, 11, 4, 13 in six innings.
There have been some voices around West Indies cricket raising questions over Chris Gayle’s spot in this side. Speaking to Barbados Radio earlier this week, Sir Curtly Ambrose suggested that Gayle is not looking like the player he has been over the years.
“Presently he is not firing and looks a bit out of sorts and he is just not looking the same Chris Gayle that we know. How he is looking now, he is not looking confident, he is not looking like he will score a lot of runs. He might hit a six or two and gets out so I have a question mark over that, but let’s see how he does against Australia. If he doesn’t fire after the first few games, we may have to move on and give some younger players a chance,” Ambrose stated.
Yes, Chris Gayle has made a significant contribution to West Indies cricket over the years. It would be a pity to see a struggling Gayle in the side making experts raise eyebrows. There is no dearth of young explosive batsmen in the West Indies unit. And with an increased emphasis placed by skipper Kieron Pollard on reducing the dot balls and better rotation of strike, Chris Gayle might not be the ideal player for that top-order.
Chris Gayle may still have plenty of time left in franchise cricket all over the world. But he might just have passed his best in the international arena. It might well be the best decision for him and the West Indies for Gayle to call it time before the T20 World Cup.