Chris Gayle's Top 5 special performances

Gayle celebrates his 300 against Sri Lanka

4. 60 and 5/46 vs Australia (7^th ODI Australia’s tour of WI, Grenada, 2003)

If anybody mentions Gayle, you think sixes. But this game, Gayle produced something different and equally special- a fiver. He claimed centurion Lehmann, Symonds, Clarke, Hogg and Lee to restrict the visitors to 245 when the other WI bowlers didn’t have much to offer. It is such a boon for a team when your opener can take 5 wickets for you, and then follow it up with a 60 run-knock with the bat to set the stage for chasing down the target successfully. WI won by 9 wickets and as almost always happens when Gayle plays well, there was no other who could have grabbed the Man of the Match award but the man himself.

3. 333 vs Sri Lanka (1^st Test WI in Sri Lanka, Galle, 2010)

Gayle came, saw and conquered. Put into bat by Sri Lanka, the WI were powered to a mammoth total of 580 runs declared thanks to Gayle who scored more than half the runs. Having opened the batting as always, he finally left the crease when the score had reached a total of 566 runs. He partnered with almost all the batsmen in the line-up one after another, many of whom chipped in with 50s and 60s to aid this man in building his innings. He struck 34 fours and 9 sixes. He reached his double century in a blazing fashion the first day and played a steadier hand the next day to reach his triple ton and his best score in Tests, bettering the 317 he had scored earlier.

Sri Lanka were made to follow-on after their total of 378, and the game was eventually a draw. No prizes for guessing who the Player of the Match was- when he performs, it is as if all the others are so in awe of him that they don’t bother performing and just enjoy the show. This goes for the opponent teams as well.