One of the all-time greats, Chris Gayle, turned 44 on Thursday, September 21. Born in Jamaica, the Universe Boss has truly been a legend of the game and has asserted his dominance across formats.
The southpaw has performed admirably for the West Indies and all of the franchises he has represented across the world. Since making his professional debut in 1999, Gayle has displayed his mighty prowess and aggressive batting style.
Gayle, who has represented over 30 different franchises in his career, has exhibited several breathtaking moments on the cricket field. With his exceptional hitting abilities and hand-eye coordination, he has hammered innumerable sixes throughout his career.
In fact, he holds the record for hitting the most number of sixes in international cricket, clobbering 553 maximums across the three formats. His six-hitting record in T20s is on another level, with him hitting 1,056 maximums across 455 innings in the shortest format.
On the occasion of Chris Gayle's 44th birthday, we take a look at the 3 biggest sixes he hit in his career.
Note: Sixes with accurate data are only included in the list
#3 116 metres vs India at the T20 World Cup 2010 in Barbados
Team India has been at the receiving end of Chris Gayle's mayhem quite a number of times. One such instance was during the T20 World Cup 2010, held in the West Indies.
In a Group 'F' game against the Men in Blue, Gayle hit a match-winning 98 off 66 balls. He hammered five boundaries and seven sixes during his innings. One of his sixes, however, went 116 metres long.
His 116-metre hit against Yusuf Pathan went straight out of the Kensington Oval Stadium. Gayle narrowly missed out on a well-deserving hundred as he was run out for 98 on the last over.
West Indies eventually won the game by 14 runs, while Gayle was adjudged the Player of the Match for his heroics.
You can watch the 116-metre-long six here:
#2 119 metres vs Pune Warriors India at IPL 2013
Gayle's iconic 175* against the Pune Warriors India (PWI) in IPL 2013 still gives goosebumps to every Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) fan. After all, it was arguably one of the best IPL knocks ever.
The Pune-based franchise faced utter destruction from the bat of Gyale, who clobbered as many as 13 fours and 17 lusty maximums at his beloved Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.
Opposition skipper Aaron Finch used seven bowlers during the day, but Gayle spared none as he clobbered everything in his arc for fun.
In the 15th over, which was bowled by Ali Murtaza, Gayle sent one on top of the roof. The ball went 119 metres long, leaving every spectator present at the stadium awestruck.
Gayle's 119-metre-long six remains the fifth-longest six in IPL history.
#1 120 metres vs Queensland Bulls at Twenty20 Big Bash 2010/11
The inaugural edition of the Big Bash League (BBL) in 2010/11 saw Chris Gayle send the opposition teams on a leather hunt as he smashed 13 sixes, the most in that particular season.
Representing Western Australia (WA), Gayle played only five games in the tournament before leaving for international duty. However, in his last game of the season, Gayle left a lasting impression as he launched a 120m six, which landed on the third tier at the Gabba, Brisbane.
He hit the monstrous six while batting against the Queensland Bulls. Facing pacer Luke Feldman, Gayle danced down the track and smashed it past the bowler's head for an enormous strike.
The left-hander smashed 92 runs in the game, which led his side to pile up 202 runs in their first innings. Western Australia went on to win the game by 32 runs.
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