Over 10,400 ODI runs, the most by a West Indian in limited-overs cricket. Even ahead of the great Brian Lara. In excess of 7,200 Test runs. And that’s not all; 1,600 plus T20 international runs, at a strike rate of 140 with two centuries. It may read like a normal sequence of statistics against someone’s name but if you are a cricket aficionado, it would mean only one thing: a tall order of runs for one of cricket’s tall achievers Chris Gayle!
There are, honestly speaking, multiple narratives that run in parallel where it comes to describing Christopher Henry Gayle. He could be a bowler tormentor to some while he could well be the one who makes smashing the ball out of the park a regular habit. Regardless of how you describe the big run-maker from Kingston, Jamaica, one thing is certain: he’s an entertainer first and last, before and after being the batsman he is.
And now, where it stands, he could well be in lines to feature in a limited-overs series against the Sri Lankans.
As a matter of fact, the last that Chris Gayle faced the Sri Lankans sportingt the famous West Indian colours was back in July and that too, in the mother of all sporting battles: the 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup. But it yielded a lowly outing for the man against whose name there stand two, not one triple centuries. In scoring a 35 off 48, Gayle was no close to being the demonic figure with the willow he’s usually been throughout his career.
So is a redemption on the cards?
Here’s what you need to note if you are a cricket fan and not just a fan of the West Indies for generally speaking, one turns out to be a fan of Caribbean cricket if one happens to be a Gayle fan:
Should Chris Gayle pass a fast-approaching fitness test, he shall find himself in the West Indies team for the T20 leg of the Sri Lanka tour to the Caribbean that begins March, 2021.
And implicit in this particular series will be the big Chris Gayle comeback. Heck, did this cross your mind once?
The last that Chris Gayle featured in a T20 international for his West Indies was back in August of 2019. Back then, along with another big-hitter of the white-ball, Evin Lewis, Gayle powered his side to a few blazing runs against the visiting Indians. Though, the series belonged to a Kohli-led side, the runs, at least, a few of them fell to the blazing bat of one of the giants of Windies cricket.
But how will it be this time around?
It’s needless to say that the mere sight of Christopher Henry Gayle taking guard on his home turf (this being the Caribbean) shall fill the stands with large swarms of crowds. Can the familiar white-ball smasher beat the bowlers with his hammering blade? We are yet to witness that occasion.
What we do know is that, Chris Gayle, in a recent video interaction shared his thoughts about the T20 comeback in West Indian colors and among the things he shared, he touched upon his illness and the road toward living it up kingsize. Here’s what he happened to share:
“I needed life-saving heart surgery and I vowed never to give up. Five years later in Galle, Sri Lanka, I scored a record 333 runs. Many more records fell in my career and fame as well as fortune followed. But there was a rule to my life – Live it with a smile. 333 is more than just a number.”
It goes without saying that one of the sides that Chris Gayle loves batting against is definitely Sri Lanka. So are big runs on the cards? Stay tuned for the West Indies vs Sri Lanka series, due to begin in March!