West Indian giant Chris Gayle sounded a stern World Cup warning by becoming the first man to hit 500 sixes in international matches during the 4th ODI against visitors England at the National Stadium in Grenada yesterday.
The 'Universe Boss' hit a total of 14 maximums in his innings of 162, almost helping his team chase a mammoth target of 419. By the time he was dismissed, he had hit a total of 506 international sixes with Pakistan's Shahid Afridi (476) lying a distant second. The left-hander also became only the second man from West Indies, after Brian Lara to complete 10,000 runs in ODIs.
Gayle is one of a handful of players who would not shirk from chasing 419 and the 39-year-old Jamaican picked up Buttler's baton with a ton of his own.
He teed off immediately, clattering Chris Woakes for five sixes in nine balls.
Stokes then gave up two fours and two sixes from his first four balls. Things did not get any better in a ragged four-over spell that contained full tosses, wides and even an accidental beamer.
Wood was fighting a lone resistance, removing John Campbell and Shai Hope with the new ball and returning in his second spell to add Darren Bravo and Shimron Hetmyer in the same over.
But Gayle ticked off a shopping list of targets — 50 up in 32 balls, a 10,000th one-day run and then his hundred in 55 balls — but was fatigued by the time Stokes took his stumps on 162.
The final equation left the West Indies seeking 95 from the last 10 overs, with Brathwaite and Nurse surpassing low expectations in a boundary-strewn cameo that threatened to add one final twist to a day full of entertainment.
They were on the cusp of something special when Rashid kept his composure, tempting both into mis-hits that were held by Morgan and Liam Plunkett. He polished off Devendra Bishoo and Oshane Thomas in a hurry, providing a swift end to a superb battle.
(With AP inputs)
