Chris Gayle becomes the third cricketer to hit 250 sixes in ODIs

Chris Gayle on Friday reached yet another milestone as he became only the third cricketer to hit 250 or more sixes in One Day Internationals. The other two cricketers to have achieved the feat are Shahid Afridi at a distant first with 351 sixes and Sanath Jayasuriya with 270 sixes.

Among the active cricketers, Gayle leads the list of most sixes followed by MS Dhoni who has hit 213 sixes. The 38-year-old began really slow yesterday in what was the final One Day International in England. However, it didn’t take much time for the Universe Boss to cut loose, as he slammed Jake Ball for four consecutive sixes.

Slammed Ball to reach the milestone

Gayle cleared his front leg to produce the first six, which was the biggest with the ball hitting the top of one of the canopies. The next ball was drilled over extra cover as Gayle angled it perfectly which marked six number 250 for the Caribbean.

The third one might well be construed as a mishit but the big man hit it with enough power to clear long on. Jake Ball was welcomed again in his next over as the ball landed in the stands again, making it 4 on 4 in the Jake Ball vs Chris Gayle competition, that was going extremely one-sided.

The action didn’t end as Gayle edged one more for a boundary, which could’ve gone the distance if connected well. This was followed by another six over long off as Gayle took Jake Ball to the cleaners with a stunning 34 runs from the last 6 balls.

However, it was rookie Tom Curran who ended up getting his maiden wicket in the form of Gayle who was looking dangerous and out of sorts, not to forget a really splendid catch by Liam Plunkett. He got out after scoring 40 (29), an innings with a single boundary but five maximums.

This was Gayle’s first ODI series since the 2015 World Cup. While Windies may have lost the series and are scheduled to play the World Cup Qualifiers in Zimbabwe, they’ll be glad to have a batsman like Chris Gayle back in their batting ranks. Gayle, on the other hand, would be looking to maintain his fitness and make sure he plays a crucial part as the Windies try their best to qualify for the World Cup 2019.