1. Christopher Henry Gayle was born on 21 September 1979 and is a Jamaican cricketer who has played international cricket for the West Indies from 1999 to 2021.
100 Facts About Chris Gayle
1. 2.
Chris Gayle played a crucial role in the West Indies teams that won the 2004 ICC Champions Trophy, 2012 ICC World Twenty20 and 2016 ICC World Twenty20.
3.
Chris Gayle has set numerous records across all three formats of the game.
4.
Chris Gayle is the only player to score more than 14,000 runs and hit more than 1000 sixes in T20 cricket He is the leading run scorer for West Indies in both ODIs and T20Is and, after Brian Lara, was the second player to score more than 10,000 runs for West Indies in ODI Cricket.
5.
Chris Gayle was the first West Indian batsman to score a double-century in ODI cricket and subsequently in the history of World Cup cricket, where he scored an innings of 215 against Zimbabwe.
6.
Chris Gayle was awarded the Most Valuable Player in the 2011 Indian Premier League and held the Orange Cap in 2012.
7.
Chris Gayle equaled the record for the fastest 50 in T20 cricket while playing for Melbourne Renegades in the Big Bash League.
8.
Chris Gayle last played in a Test match in September 2014, against Bangladesh.
9.
In December 2020, Chris Gayle was included in the ICC T20I Team of the Decade.
10.
Chris Gayle started his cricket career with Lucas Cricket Club in Kingston, Jamaica.
11.
Chris Gayle 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.
12.
Chris Gayle scored a quickfire 88 in the opening game of the tournament and helped the Windies beat the mighty Australians.
13.
Chris Gayle first played at the international level as a youth where he topscored for the Windies at the 1998 Under-19 Cricket World Cup.
14.
Chris Gayle eventually made his first-class debut in 1998, at age 19 for Jamaica.
15.
Chris Gayle played his first One Day International eleven months later in 1999, and his first Test match six months after that.
16.
Chris Gayle went on to establish himself as a destructive batsman who's most effective whilst playing square of the wicket.
17.
In July 2001, Chris Gayle recorded his maiden Test century by scoring 175 against Zimbabwe at Queens Sports Club, Bulawayo.
18.
Chris Gayle had a slow start to his international career, but invigorated it in 2002, ending the year with three centuries against India in November and becoming the third West Indian to score over 1,000 runs in a calendar year, along with Vivian Richards and Brian Lara.
19.
Chris Gayle is one of only six players in One Day International history to have three or more scores of 150.
20.
In 2005, Chris Gayle was dropped for the first Test against South Africa along with six other players following a dispute over sponsorship issues.
21.
Chris Gayle returned for the second Test but had a poor series until the fourth Test, where he made a match-saving 317.
22.
Chris Gayle left the field for a time, and was after the match sent to hospital where he was diagnosed with a congenital heart defect causing a cardiac dysrhythmia.
23.
Chris Gayle underwent heart surgery following the series to correct the defect.
24.
Chris Gayle was only the fourth West Indian to carry his bat in a Test innings.
25.
Chris Gayle 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.
26.
However, Worcestershire were relegated after Chris Gayle made 1 in the final match against Lancashire.
27.
Chris 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.
28.
Chris Gayle scored three centuries and totalled 474 runs, 150 more than any other batsman, and took eight wickets in as many matches.
29.
Chris Gayle, in keeping with the rest of the West Indies team, had a poor World Cup in 2007.
30.
Chris Gayle recorded a series of low scores; the one exception being a blistering 79 off 58 balls against England in the West Indies' final match.
31.
Chris Gayle made the first century in international Twenty20 cricket, scoring 117 against South Africa in the first match of the 2007 World Twenty20.
32.
Chris Gayle played in the second IPL competition in early 2009, arriving for an away Test series against England very late, earning criticism about his commitment.
33.
Chris Gayle went to on score a match winning 88 in the first official match of the 2009 Twenty20, in a surprise victory over Australia.
34.
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.
35.
Chris Gayle was dismissed two balls later for 102 runs.
36.
Chris 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.
37.
In November 2012, during the First Test against Bangladesh in Dhaka, Chris Gayle became the first player in the history of Test cricket to hit a six off the first ball of a match.
38.
In 2013, during the Third Test against Zimbabwe, Chris Gayle surpassed Brian Lara's record of the most sixes in Test cricket by a West Indian cricketer.
39.
In February 2015, Chris 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.
40.
Chris 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.
41.
Chris Gayle ended his List-A career for Jamaica with a match-winning century against Barbados in a Super50 Cup 2018.
42.
On 18 February 2019, Chris Gayle announced that he would retire from ODIs after the 2019 Cricket World Cup.
43.
On 31 May 2019, in the West Indies' opening match of the World Cup, Chris 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.
44.
On 1 July 2019, in the match against Sri Lanka, Chris Gayle became the most capped player for the West Indies in international cricket, playing in his 455th match.
45.
Three days later, in the West Indies' final match of the 2019 Cricket World Cup, against Afghanistan, Chris Gayle became the most-capped player for the West Indies in the Cricket World Cup, playing in his 35th match.
46.
Chris Gayle broke the record for the most runs for the West Indies in ODIs, surpassing Brian Lara.
47.
In November 2020, Chris Gayle was nominated for the ICC Men's T20I Cricketer of the Decade award.
48.
In February 2021, Chris Gayle was recalled to West Indies' T20I squad after two-year absence and named in the T20I squad against Sri Lanka.
49.
On 13 July 2021, against Australia in the third T20I, Chris Gayle scored his first T20I half-century in the format since 2016, scoring 67 off 38 deliveries.
50.
In September 2021, Chris Gayle was named in the West Indies' squad for the 2021 ICC Men's T20 World Cup.
51.
On 6 November 2021, Chris Gayle played his last T20I match against Australia in the Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium.
52.
Chris Gayle wanted to retire in front of his home crowd in Jamaica.
53.
In 2011, after being left out of the initial part of the West Indies T20 and one-day home series against Pakistan, Chris Gayle opted to join the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the fourth edition of the Indian Premier League.
54.
Chris Gayle won the Orange Cap Award for scoring the most runs in the tournament amassing 608 runs in 12 matches.
55.
Chris Gayle was instrumental in many victories for the Royal Challengers Bangalore and received five Man of the Match awards and the Player of the Tournament award for his performances.
56.
Chris Gayle hoped his first appearance in the tournament was a success, and he gave the spectators something to cheer about.
57.
Chris Gayle was the second West Indian to be signed in the event, after the legendary Brian Lara had signed for Southern Rocks the previous season.
58.
Chris Gayle 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.
59.
The only century Chris Gayle scored in the event ended in defeat as Mid West Rhinos's Brendan Taylor's outstanding 75* outlasted his team.
60.
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 Chris Gayle scoring a half-century, it was not enough to see his home through.
61.
Chris Gayle joined the Barisal Burners in the Bangladesh Premier League, and had scored two centuries at more than a run-a-ball.
62.
Chris 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.
63.
Chris Gayle started off his 2013 IPL season scoring 92 not out from 58 balls, hitting 11 fours and four sixes against the Mumbai Indians.
64.
Chris Gayle's innings helped his side to victory, and he was awarded the man of the match.
65.
On 23 April 2013, during an IPL match against Pune Warriors India, Chris Gayle broke multiple scoring records.
66.
At the launch of the Caribbean Premier League, Chris Gayle was announced as the first franchise player for the league.
67.
On 18 January 2016, in a match with the Adelaide Strikers, Chris 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.
68.
Chris Gayle reached 51 in just 12 deliveries which included seven sixes and smashed the previous record of 18 deliveries set by Strikers batsman Tim Ludeman.
69.
Chris Gayle was dismissed shortly after for 56 off 17 balls by Travis Head.
70.
Chris Gayle was signed by Lahore Qalandars in 2016 for 200,000 dollars to play in the Pakistan Super League.
71.
Chris Gayle only scored 103 runs from five matches and was out twice for a golden duck, the most in his T20 career, by Junaid Khan.
72.
Chris Gayle returned for a second season of PSL in 2017, this time picked by Karachi Kings.
73.
Chris Gayle played 9 matches for the side, and scored merely 160 runs.
74.
On 18 April 2017, Chris 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.
75.
Chris Gayle was awarded the man of the match which was his first in IPL 2017.
76.
On 16 September 2017, Chris Gayle became the first ever player to hit 100 T20I sixes.
77.
Chris Gayle however left the tournament in the second leg, citing 'bio-bubble fatigue'.
78.
In May 2018, Chris Gayle was named as one of the ten marquee players for the first edition of the Global T20 Canada cricket tournament.
79.
On 17 May 2022, Chris Gayle was inducted into the RCB Hall of Fame for his contributions to the team between 2011 and 2017.
80.
In 2022, Chris Gayle made his Legends League Cricket debut for Gujarat Giants.
81.
Chris Gayle holds the record for most centuries in T20 cricket, 15 more than his nearest rival Brendon McCullum.
82.
Chris Gayle faced more than half the balls bowled by the Warriors and produced a compressed 20-over highlights package.
83.
Chris Gayle is known for his characteristic hitting, imposing physique, and timing.
84.
Chris Gayle is known for appearing very calm as the bowler approaches.
85.
Chris Gayle holds numerous records that reflect his batting style, including record Twenty20 strike-rates and high scores.
86.
Chris Gayle launched a music career in November 2020 with a dancehall music video called "We Come Out To Party".
87.
In September 2021, Chris Gayle announced a song named 'Punjabi Daddy'.
88.
On 20 April 2016, Chris Gayle announced the birth of his daughter on social media platform Instagram.
89.
In 2005, Chris Gayle was involved in the dispute between the West Indies Cricket Board and a number of players over sponsorship issues.
90.
Chris Gayle later cut his deal with Cable and Wireless and rejoined the side for the second Test.
91.
Chris Gayle was charged with conduct contrary to the spirit of cricket during a Test against New Zealand in March 2006 but was found not guilty.
92.
Chris Gayle publicly criticised the West Indies Cricket Board during the 2007 tour of England, which led to an official reprimand and warning.
93.
Chris Gayle 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.
94.
Chris Gayle later commented that his statement had been quoted out of context, according to Julian Hunte, President of the West Indies Cricket Board.
95.
On 25 June 2012, Chris 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.
96.
Fellow female sports journalist Neroli Meadows stated that Chris Gayle had been acting in such a way for years, and that he did it to "humiliate" women.
97.
Chris Gayle said the comments were intended to be a joke.
98.
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.
99.
Chris Gayle has scored 42 international centuries, which includes 15 Tests, 25 ODIs and 2 T20I centuries as of 13 July 2021.
100.
Chris Gayle was the first cricketer to score centuries in all formats of the game.