Background

Being raised in a large family and struggling with poverty, Chris also worked as a rag-picker for a while during the financial crisis. As part of his efforts to support his family, he once admitted to stealing for some time.

He was not academically good and devoted all his attention to cricket. He graduated from Excelsior High School and joined the Lucas Cricket Club, a local Jamaican club. According to Chris, his early years with 'Lucas' were a transformative experience that helped him to fully understand the game. After playing in local matches, he gradually gained the attention of the selectors.

First Appearance

The 19 year old Gayle made his international debut on 10 September 1999 against the Indian Cricket Team in Toronto, Canada. He scored just one run in that game. Aside from that, he bowled six overs that fetched only 37 runs out of the 165 which was scored by India during the match.

After six months, he played his first-ever Test match in Trinidad against Zimbabwe, which began on 15 March 2000. He scored 33 in his first innings and a golden duck in his second. Also in the first innings, Gayle took 3/25. In the end, the home team won by 35 runs.

Ascend to Glory

A three-century knock against India in 2002 made him one of the West Indians with more than 1,000 international runs in a calendar year, joining the legendary Sir Vivian Richards and Brian Lara. The next couple of years were ordinary for him before 2005.

In 2005, he was selected to play Test matches against South Africa. During the fourth Test, he scored his maiden triple century (317) to save the game and recorded the highest individual score against the South Africans.

It has been a huge success for him in T20 cricket and he has been recognized as one of the most barbarous hitters and most destructive batsmen in history. In the 2006 ICC Champions Trophy, he made the tournament his own. In the tournament, he scored 150 runs more than any other batsman, becoming the highest run-getter with 474 runs. During the series, he also took eight wickets and was named 'Man of the Tournament.'

Low Point

Throughout his cricket career, Gayle had some ups and downs, which is a normal part of every cricketer's journey. However, some important controversies have let him down and wasted some important years of his career. Those controversies are as follows:-

• A cold war with the West Indies Cricket Board over sponsorship issues.
• In 2016, Fairfax Media published articles alleging Gayle exposed himself to massage therapist Leanne Russell during a cricket tournament. In the same year, Gayle sued Fairfax Media for defamation. On 3 December 2018, the case was won by Gayle, and Fairfax Media was awarded $300,000.
• During the 2016 Big Bash League, Gayle propositioned Australian sports presenter Mel McLaughlin and invited her to drink afterward. Also, he told Mel McLaughlin, "Don't blush baby". The statement caused great controversy and some cricketers demanded that Chris Gayle be banned from playing in Australia. A fine of $100,000 was imposed on him. Later, he apologized and clarified that he humorously meant the statement.

Captaincy

In 2007, Gayle became captain of the Test side and he remained so until 2010. After 2010, he was replaced by Darren Sammy as captain of the West Indies. Under his tenure, the team lost large matches and tournaments due to his incompetence as captain.

Gayle's Record

• After Brian Lara, he is the second West Indian to score more than 10,000 runs in ODIs.
• First batsman in history to score centuries in all three formats.
• He is one of only four players (Don Bradman, Brian Lara, and Virender Sehwag) to score two triple centuries in a Test match.
• The first cricketer to score a ton in T20 cricket.
• One of the few players to score centuries in ICC U19 World Cups, ICC World Twenty20s, ICC Cricket World Cups, ICC Champions Trophy, and ICC Cricket World Cup qualifiers.
• He is the first player to record a double century in an ICC Cricket World Cup.
• Third batsman to score a century against eleven different countries in one-day internationals.
• A record of more than 500 sixes in international cricket.
• First player to hit a six from the first ball of a Test match.

Retirement

On 6 November 2021, Gayle played his last T20I match against Australia at the Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium. However, he has not yet announced the end of his international cricket career. As a Jamaican, he wanted to retire in front of his countrymen.