“Semi-retired” Gayle wants to sign off in front of home fans

T20
World
Cup
2021:
Chris
Gayle,
the
original
‘Ronin’
bids
West
Indies
farewell

The
happenings
inside
the
Sheikh
Zayed
Stadium
during
and
after
the
T20
World
Cup
game
against
Australia
suggested
that
the
swashbuckling
Gayle
has
played
his
final
game
as
he
walked
off
to
a
standing
ovation
from
his
teammates
after
scoring
a
nine-ball
15
on
Saturday.

The
Windies
great
was
seen
signing
on
the
camera
and
also
distributed
his
cricketing
gears
to
the
fans
in
the
stands
after
his
team
lost
the
match
by
eight
wickets.

However,
later
it
came
to
light
that
he
is
only
“semi-retired” as
of
now.
“I’m
semi-retired.
I’m
one
away,”
Gayle
said
ahead
of
the
game,
according
to
a
report
in
the
t20worldcup.com

After
the
match,
speaking
on
the
ICC’s
post-match
Facebook
live
show,
Gayle
clarified
he
has
not
yet
retired
but
hinted
that
he
is
set
to
sign
off.
“I
was
just
having
some
fun
today.
Put
everything
that
happened
aside.
I
was
just
interacting
with
the
fans
in
the
stand
and
just
having
some
fun
seeing
as
it’s
going
to
be
my
last
World
Cup
game.”

Asked
to
clarify,
Gayle
laughed:
“I’d
love
to
play
one
more
World
Cup.
But
I
don’t
think
they
will
allow
me.”

“It’s
been
a
phenomenal
career.
I
didn’t
announce
any
retirement
but
they
actually
give
me
one
game
in
Jamaica
to
go
in
front
of
my
home
crowd,
then
I
can
say
‘hey
guys,
thank
you
so
much.’ Let’s
see.
If
not,
I’ll
announce
it,
long
time
and
then
I’ll
be
joining
DJ
Bravo
in
the
backend
and
say
thanks
to
each
and
everyone
but
I
can’t
say
that
as
yet.”

Gayle,
42,
also
dismissed
Mitchell
Marsh
and
celebrated
by
jumping
on
the
Australian
when
he
was
on
his
way
back.

In
his
cameo,
Gayle
bludgeoned
Pat
Cummins
for
six
off
the
first
ball
of
the
third
over
to
move
to
15,
but
dragged
the
next
delivery
on
to
his
stumps.
As
his
West
Indies
team-mates
gave
a
standing
ovation
by
the
boundary,
Gayle
waved
his
bat
to
all
corners
of
the
ground
as
he
left
the
pitch.
This
was
one
ball
after
hitting
his
1045th
six
in
T20
cricket.

Very
few
players
have
had
more
impact
on
T20
cricket
than
Christopher
Henry
Gayle.
Gayle
and
Bravo
were
also
given
guard
of
honour
at
the
end
of
the
game
and
it
triggered
speculations
that
both
of
them
have
retired
when
only
Bravo
had
publicly
announced
that
he
will
retire
after
Saturday’s
game.

Commentator
Ian
Bishop
said
on
air,
“Everything
points
to
this
being
the
last
time
we
will
see
Gayle
in
West
Indies’
colours.”

Former
India
star
VVS
Laxman
led
the
plaudits,
describing
Gayle
as
T20’s
greatest
player.
Gayle,
who
made
his
debut
for
the
West
Indies
in
1999,
was
pivotal
in
their
two
Two
World
Cup
successes
and
said
he
was
thrilled
to
share
his
last
match
with
his
long-time
teammate
Bravo.

A
two-time
T20
World
Cup-winning
superstar,
Gayle
has
1899
runs
in
79
T20Is.
He
averaged
28.11
and
struck
at
137.31.
Gayle’s
tally
includes
two
centuries
and
14
half-centuries.
He
also
scalped
20
wickets
in
the
shortest
format.
A
regular
opener,
Gayle
often
batted
at
number
3
in
the
lead-up
to
the
T20
World
Cup.

In
his
T20
career,
Gayle
scored
a
total
of
14,321
runs
from
445
innings,
including
22
centuries
and
a
world
record
score
of
175
off
just
66
balls
for
Royal
Challengers
Bangalore
in
the
2013
IPL
season.

Gayle
hasn’t
played
a
Test
match
since
2014
while
his
last
ODI
appearance
came
in
2019.
An
all-format
legend,
Gayle
has
7214
runs
in
103
Tests
and
10480
runs
in
301
ODIs.
He
is
a
former
West
Indies
captain
too.