Chris Gayle to retire from One Day Internationals

West Indies batsman Chris Gayle is set to retire from One Day International cricket after the 2019 World Cup, according to a report published by BBC.

The 39-year-old Gayle is currently one of the longest active international cricketers in the World, having made his ODI debut for the West Indies back in 1999 against India during a ODI match played in Toronto.

Since his debut, he has gone on to play 284 ODI’s for the Windies, scoring 23 hundreds and 49 fifties at an average of 37.12. The 215 which he scored against Zimbabwe in 2015 is the fourth highest individual ODI score in history. He is currently only one of six men who have scored a double century in One Day cricket. Gayle was also a member of the West Indian squad which overcame the ‘under-dogs tag and managed to win the 2004 ICC Champions Trophy.

While he is primarily known for his explosive batting at the top of the order, Gayle is also a useful spin bowler and has taken 165 ODI wickets, boasting career best figures of 5/46.

Even though Gayle will be retiring from One-Dayers, he will continue to be available to play in T20s, and could play for the Windies during the 2020 ICC T20 World Cup. Gayle has scored 9,727 runs in ODI cricket and he is second in terms of all-time top scorers for the West Indies, behind only the legendary Brian Lara.

When asked if he might end his ODI career as a World Cup winner, Gayle said: “Absolutely, the youngsters owe it to me.

“They have to do that for me and try and get me the trophy. But I’ll be looking to put my input in as well.”

“It is a big year for me. I hope 2019 can finish for me on a great note.”

Gayle has been a pioneer of West Indies cricket for over 20-years and is regarded as one of the best hard-hitting batsman in history.

Featured Image Credit: “CHRIS GAYLE” (CC BY-SA 2.0) by NAPARAZZI