Chris Gayle's England affair

ICC Champions Trophy 2014

Gayle struggled to convert his starts into substantial scores

Despite winning their inaugural match of the tournament against Pakistan by 2 wickets at the Kennington Oval, West Indies failed to qualify for the knockout stages. In the three matches that he played, Gayle scored 96 runs at an average of 32 and a strike rate of 104.34.

Chasing 171 runs to win against Pakistan, West Indies lost Johnson Charles and Darren Bravo in the third and the fifth over respectively. Gayle was the third West Indian batsman to walk back to the pavilion. He ended up scoring 39 (47) with the help of four fours and a six. In a small run-chase and against a fierce Pakistani bowling attack, his innings was, perhaps, the need of the hour for the West Indian team.

In the second match, against India at Kennington Oval, Gayle kick-started the innings in his typical fashion. He hit four fours to race to 21 off 17 balls before edging a Bhuvneshwar Kumar delivery to Ravichandran Ashwin at first slip.

In West Indies' final league match against South Africa, Gayle scored an impressive 36 (27) with the help of five fours and a six. Had he converted his start to at least a half-century, West Indies might have ended up winning the tied encounter.