Chris Gayle’s top 3 performances in T20I cricket 

T20Is was the format in which Chris Gayle excelled. The West Indian giant batter helped his team win two T20 World Cups in the format in 2012 and 2016.The Southpaw was simply sensational in T20Is as a batter. At his prime, Gayle used to demolish the bowling attacks for fun. There are instances where Gayle single-handedly won the matches for his team. 

Not many bowlers could stop the opener when he was on song. Gayle used to be aggressive against all types of bowlers. Spin and pace, Gayle never cared for them. Gayle played some of the most destructive knocks in the history of T20s. Here are some of the knocks where Gayle was at his absolute best and helped West Indies to post good totals.

1. 117(57) against South Africa in 2007 

It was the first ever match between West Indies and South Africa in the T20 World Cup. On a flat wicket in Johannesburg, West Indies batted first against South Africa. Gayle turned out to be a nightmare for the home bowling attack. The aggressive batter showed how one can dominate the bowlers in the shortest format of the game.

Against a very good bowling lineup of Shaun Pollock, Makhaya Ntini, Morne Morkel, Johannes Van Der Wath, Albie Morkel, and Vernon Philander, Gayle scored 117 runs in 57 balls, which included 7 fours and 10 sixes. The knock helped West Indies to score 205 runs in their 20 overs. South Africa won the match due to the brilliance of Herschelle Gibbs and Justin Kemp.

2. 100(48) against England in 2016 

It was the 2016 T20 World Cup match between England and the West Indies in Mumbai. Batting first, England managed to score 182 runs in their 20 overs. Joe Root, Eoin Morgan, and Jos Buttler helped England to reach the total. Chasing 183, West Indies dominated the bowlers of England. The bowlers had no answer to the batsmanship of Gayle.

In his stay in the middle, the opener scored an unbeaten 100 runs in 48 balls, which included 5 fours and 11 sixes. It was a great feat, considering how good the English attack of David Willey, Reece Topley, Chris Jordan, Ben Stokes, Adil Rashid, and Moeen Ali was. West Indies won the match comfortably by 6 wickets with 11 balls to spare.

3.88(50) against Australia in 2009

It was the 2009 T20 World Cup match between West Indies and Australia. Batting first in Kennington Oval, Australia scored a good total of 169 runs on a slow wicket. It was one such wicket where everyone seemed to struggle, barring Gayle. The West Indian batter was at his aggressive best and attacked the great bowling attack of Australia.

Gayle took the game away from Australia completely. In 50 balls, Gayle scored 88 runs, which included 6 fours and 6 sixes each. The Australian attack had the likes of Mitchell Johnson, Brett Lee, Nathan Bracken, James Hopes, David Hussey, and Shane Watson. Gayle humiliated the Australian bowling attack and chased the target in just 15.5 overs.