What A Freak - Chris Gayle Blasts World Record 22nd T20 Ton, Becomes 1st To Hit Over 950 Sixes

There is no doubting that Chris Gayle is one of the greatest players in the world when it comes to the Twenty20 format. His records are so staggering that it may be tempted to make Gayle the standard by which other players are measured in the Twenty20 format, just like Sir Don Bradman is measured in the Test match format and Sachin Tendulkar in ODIs. In the Caribbean Premier League encounter on Tuesday, Gayle once again underlined his genius in the T20 format as he blasted a world record 22nd ton in the Caribbean Premier League encounter between Jamaica Tallawahs and St Kitts and Nevis Patriots. Gayle blasted 116 off 62 balls and the knock included seven fours and 10 sixes and this created plenty of records. However, Gayle's ton was surprisingly not enough as his team Jamaica Tallawahs lost a high-scoring encounter to the St Kitts and Nevis Patriots. 

St Kitts and Nevis Patriots chose to bowl at Warner Park and the short straight boundaries at the venue provided ample fodder for Gayle and Chadwick Walton to demonstrate their power-hitting. Gayle started off with a bang by hammering left-arm spinner Fabian Allen for a four and two sixes in the very first over and he was given good company by Walton as the dup regularly cleared the boundaries. Gayle notched up his 22nd ton while Walton smashed 73 off 36 balls, a knock that included three fours and eight sixes. In the process, Gayle became the first individual to smash over 950 sixes in Twenty20s and his knock of 116 helped Jamaica Tallawahs reach 241/4. 

In response, St Kitts and Nevis Patriots were boosted by the brilliance of Evin Lewis as the left-hander blasted a six off Steven Jacobs and two further hits off Jerome Taylor. The fourth over bowled by Jacobs witnessed carnage as Lewis hammered two fours and two sixes. The next over witnessed a contest between Thomas and Thomas with Devon Thomas getting the better of Oshane Thomas. Devon blasted two fours and two sixes off Oshane. Lewis blasted the fastest fifty in the Caribbean Premier League with a four and a six off Andre Russell but departed for 53 as St Kitts and Nevis Patriots smashed 89 in the first powerplay.

Also Read | Rohit Sharma breaks Chris Gayle's world record tally of sixes in Twenty20 Internationals

Laurie Evans and Devon Thomas continued to tear the Jamaica Tallawahs bowling attack apart but Oshane Thomas gave them some nervous moments when he took three wickets in one over, including Carlos Brathwaite for 0. However, Shamarh Brooks and Fabian Allen struck some crucial blows and Allen got St Kitts and Nevis Patriots over the line with a six and two fours off Andre Russell in the 19th over to win the match by four wickets. 

Also Read | World will miss Gayle's aura when he finally retires, say teammates

The chase of 242 was the highest in the history of the Caribbean Premier League and the clash witnessed 37 sixes, a joint world record for the most sixes hit in a match. The Jamaica Tallawahs and St Kitts and Nevis Patriots tally of sixes equalled the record of 37 set by Balkh Legends and Kabul Zwanan in the Afghanistan Premier League game in Sharjah in October 2018. In that match, Gayle was the star when he hit 80 off 48 balls and the knock included two fours and 10 sixes.

The chase was the second-highest in the history of the Twenty20 format. The highest is Australia's chase of 245/5 against New Zealand in the Twenty20 International tri-series in Auckland in February 2018. It is the fourth-highest when it comes to match aggregate, with Otago Volts and Central Districts blasting 497 runs in a Twenty20 clash in New Plymouth in December 2016. Central Districts lost the match by one run.

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HIGHLIGHTS

• St Kitts and Nevis Patriots achieved the highest successful chase in CPL history.
• Chris Gayle smashed a world record 22nd Twenty20 ton.
• Evin Lewis blasted the fastest fifty in the CPL off just 17 balls.