Canberra, Australia: Chris Gayle bludgeoned his way into the World Cup records with his 215 containing 16 sixes and a 372-run partnership with Marlon Samuels (133 not out) to lift West Indies to 372-2 against Zimbabwe in a Pool B match on Tuesday.
Under intense pressure after failing to score a one-day international century since June 2013, Gayle had a huge reprieve when he survived an lbw appeal and a review of the not-out decision on the first ball he faced.
Then the 35-year-old Jamaican let the Zimbabwe attack have it. His 16 sixes equaled the record for most in an ODI innings, and he surpassed Gary Kirsten's 188 against the United Arab Emirates in 1996 as the highest score in a World Cup innings before he was caught out on the last ball of the innings. His partnership with Samuels also was an ODI record.
