Chris Gayle's classic hundred (Source: @1DAVID92/x.com)
Test cricket has forged immortals, ODIs have crowned legends, and T20Is have unleashed giants who set the shortest format on fire. After the T20 World Cup was introduced to the cricket world, fans got another way to celebrate the T20 thrills.
Over the years, the shortest format has unveiled extraordinary talents, and none loom larger than Caribbean icon Chris Gayle. Being amazed by his destruction and outstanding power-hitting, the world named him ‘Universe Boss’, and the batter justified the title with every given chance.
As the T20 World Cups have delivered some of the iconic moments, Gayle has carved his own legacy. Among his endless heroics, the explosive century against England still stands as pure madness. Let’s relive the night when Gayle dazzled the field with crazy fireworks.
England stand still as Gayle unleashes pure domination
Whenever the T20 World Cup hits the big stage, it delivers edge-of-the-seat drama like no other. Since 2007, the thrills, excitement, and T20 dramas only soared with time, but the 2016 edition of the tournament unlocked some hidden gems, as some of the batters turned heads with their explosive knocks.
The Caribbean batters are known for their destruction, but no one justified this like Chris Gayle. He redefined the domination in the T20 cricket, and the world was in awe of his heroics. He always emerged as a nightmare for the opponent, and England experienced his hard during the T20 World Cup 2016.
In the 15th match of the league, the world saw a classic clash between England and the West Indies. England started steadily while batting first, but the Caribbean bowlers kept striking with relentless pressure. Facing their lethal attack, Joe Root’s 48 and Jos Buttler’s 30 pushed England to a big total of 182 runs.
England got off to a good start
Chasing down the target started with a setback for the West Indies as Johnson Charles walked away on a two-ball duck. After the early scalp, England may sense early domination, without realizing what is following next. After Charles walked away, Marlon Samuels joined Gayle, and the duo added 55 runs together.
England bowlers unleashed their best, and Gayle unlocked his beast mode. With a 27-ball fifty, he steadied West Indies’ innings, and the opponent faced the heat. When the West Indies’ batting lineup crumbled under pressure, he emerged as the only hope.
Gayle showed why he is called the Universe Boss
Guiding the side closer to the victory, his ruthless power-hitting stunned England as he smashed another magnificent T20I century in 47 balls. In that fiery innings, he smashed just five boundaries and 11 sky-high sixes.
When the Caribbean side started chasing, the world tilted in England’s favor, but Gayle’s destructive innings turned the tide. Chasing down the total with 11 balls to spare, West Indies registered a 6-wicket victory. The shortest format of the game saw some of the craziest innings from the Universe Boss, but its a forever classic.
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