Gayle, 19 centuries, 800 sixes in T20, you great
Dhaka: Christopher Henry Gayle, the poster boy of world cricket, slammed his 4th hundred in the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) during the eliminator between Khulna Titans and Rangpur Riders on Friday.
His 45-ball century was also his 19th in T20 cricket. In an unbeaten innings of 126, Gayle put the bowlers to the sword as he smashed 14 huge sixes and six boundaries.
He has also become the first to hit 800 sixes in T20 cricket. With a nudge to mid-wicket, he brought up his hundred in the 14th over of the match. Incidentally, since 2011 he has scored a century in T20s in every calendar year.
Lauding his effort, skipper Mashrafe Mortaza said, ‘Gayle is the king of this format. Once he’s started, it’s difficult to stop him. Fantastic innings.’
In the eliminator match at Shere Bangla National Stadium in Dhaka, Rangpur Riders won the toss and opted to bowl. It proved to be a correct decision as the Titans were restricted to 167. In reply, the Riders did lose a couple of early wickets but it was Gayle and Mohammad Mithun who forged a 146-run partnership to take their side to a comprehensive win. With this victory, the Rangpur Riders get another shot at the final of the BPL.
The T20 king is the only batsman who has achieved 19 centuries and hit 800 sixes which is really unbelievable.