Playing his final List A game for Jamaica, Chris Gayle smoked a 114-ball 122 to help his team defeat Barbados by 33 runs in a Regional Super 50 clash at Kensington Oval.
As a sign of tribute, regular skipper Nikita Miller handed over the captaincy to Gayle. The destructive opener then smashed his 27th List A century before Jamaica were bowled out for 226 in 47.4 overs. In response, Barbados were bundled out for 193, with Gayle (1 for 31) chipping in with his off-spin.
“It’s very pleasing to get a hundred in my last 50-over game for Jamaica, it’s something I will always cherish,” said Gayle, who has 12,436 runs in 356 List A games.
“To lead the team to a win makes it more special. It’s been a pleasure representing my country, more so captaining them. I’m thankful and grateful to be standing here aged 39 and still get a century in my last game for Jamaica.
“There’s a lot in the tank to be honest, but there’s life after cricket, so have to enjoy life as well. Playing cricket for over 25 years has been a great achievement from a personal point of view, but I have a family now. I have to gel with them as much as possible and watch your kid grow.
“It’s possible that I’ll play a four-day game at Sabina Park. If possible, I will definitely play a four-day game. I don’t know when it starts but I’ll look into the schedule and make myself available.”
Gayle has already expressed his desire to represent Windies in the 2019 World Cup, and despite approaching 40, he is still one of the biggest names in franchise T20 competitions around the world.
