Chris Gayle: West Indies' Universe Boss — Highest T20I Score (175*), Most T20 Sixes, Explosive Opener
Christopher Henry Gayle is a Jamaican-born West Indian cricketer born on 21 September 1979 in Kingston, Jamaica. He is widely known as the 'Universe Boss' in T20 cricket. He holds the record for the highest individual score in T20 International cricket: 175 not out off 66 balls against Zimbabwe at the ICC World T20 2007 qualifying round — scored for West Indies. He holds the record for the most sixes in T20 cricket history (including all T20 formats). He made his Test debut in March 2000 and his T20I debut in February 2007. He is the only player to score a six off the first ball of a Test match. He is one of the most destructive openers in T20 cricket history, playing in IPL, BBL, CPL, PSL and dozens of other franchise leagues.
Christopher Henry Gayle was born on 21 September 1979 in Kingston, Jamaica. He made his Test debut for the West Indies in March 2000 against Zimbabwe at Kingston. He was originally a destructive opening batsman in all formats, known for attacking fast bowling with hooks and drives. His T20 career, beginning in 2007, transformed him into one of the most recognisable cricketers in the world — the 'Universe Boss', a title he coined himself and which has become one of cricket's most recognisable nicknames.
Highest T20I Score and Most T20 Sixes
Chris Gayle's highest T20 International score is 175 not out off 66 balls — scored against Zimbabwe in the ICC World T20 qualifying rounds. He holds the record for the most sixes in all T20 cricket combined — more than 1,000 sixes across all T20 competitions worldwide. He is the only player in cricket history to score a six off the first ball of a Test match (he hit Stuart Broad for six from the first delivery of the first Test at Kingston in 2009). He also scored a 317-ball triple century in a Test against South Africa in Antigua in 2005 — the highest Test score by a West Indian batsman.
Franchise Cricket Career
Chris Gayle is the archetype of the global T20 franchise cricketer — he has played in the IPL (Royal Challengers Bangalore, Punjab Kings), the Big Bash League (Melbourne Renegades, Sydney Thunder), the Caribbean Premier League, the Pakistan Super League, and dozens of smaller T20 leagues worldwide. His IPL career includes the highest individual score in IPL history: 175 not out off 66 balls against Pune Warriors in April 2013 — a performance that included 17 sixes and 13 fours. He scored over 14,500 runs in IPL history.
Frequently asked questions
What T20I record does Chris Gayle hold?
Chris Gayle holds the record for the highest individual score in T20 International cricket: 175 not out off 66 balls against Zimbabwe in the ICC World T20 qualifying round. He also holds the record for the most sixes in T20 cricket across all competitions combined. He is the only player in history to hit a six off the first ball of a Test match.