Chris Gayle, the flamboyant Windies opener, rewrote history by becoming the first cricketer to hit 500 international sixes. He also became the second Windies cricketer to surpass 10,000 ODI runs. He did it during the fourth One-Day International (ODI) against England in St George’s, Grenada.
Gayle hit 162 off 97 balls, including 14 sixes and 11 fours. The onus was on him to get them as close to the 419 as possible in order to win. He did so, but the Windies were unable to cross the finish line, losing by 29 runs. England’s Jos Buttler (150) and Eoin Morgan (103) contributed to the massive total.
Gayle said of Buttler’s knock, “Jos Buttler is superb.” He is currently regarded as one of the best strikers in the world.”
Buttler hit an incredible 150 off 77 balls to help England reach 418. Adil Rashid, England’s leg-spinner, took four wickets in five balls as England held off a determined West Indies effort to win by 29 runs in a high-scoring game on Wednesday.
During the post-match presentation, Buttler stated, “It was an incredible game of cricket.” We are overjoyed with our victory. We discussed the right and left combinations on the bench, which is why I moved up the order. The guys put in a lot of practice time at the range. We have a strong batting lineup and are performing well. It’s been a competitive series, and hopefully, we’ll have a good final match as well.”
In response to the tourists’ mammoth total of 418 for six, the highest ever in an ODI in the Caribbean, Gayle set the tone with a rampaging 162 off 97 balls. They had a good chance of chasing the target down before Rashid broke an 88-run seventh-wicket stand between Carlos Brathwaite and Ashley Nurse in the 48th over. He then ran through the tail, taking the last three wickets in the space of four balls to finish with five for 85 off his ten overs.
The West Indies’ total of 389 was their highest-ever in ODIs, but it will be of little consolation given the final capitulation, which saw the last four wickets fall at the same score, leaving England with an unassailable 2-1 lead heading into Saturday’s final game of the five-match series in St Lucia.
Buttler and Morgan’s fourth-wicket partnership of 204 came in less than 21 overs, following an excellent comeback knock of 82 by Alex Hales at the top of the order. Morgan stated, “We were fortunate with that spell from Adil to get us over the line.” I thought the West Indies performed admirably and gave it they’re all. Many people talk about them being ranked ninth in the world, but there isn’t much of a difference between the two teams.”
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Only a week after the West Indies set a new record of 23 sixes in an ODI inning, England broke it by one, with Buttler thrashing Brathwaite for another massive in the final over of the innings; the big all-rounder bowled him with the next delivery after the big batsman had hit deep midwicket.
England bludgeoned 154 runs off the final ten overs, with Buttler accounting for 105 of them in a ferocious display of power-hitting.
England (418 for 6, Buttler 150, Morgan 103, Hales 82, Bairstow 56) defeated West Indies (389, Gayle 162, Bravo 61, Brathwaite 50, Rashid 5-85, Wood 4-60) by 29 runs “inputs from cricshots.com”.
