The party can never be limited to the cricket field when Chris Gayle is in the house. After slamming a record 146 to help his side Rangpur Riders win the BPL 2017, the ‘Universal Boss’ announced to the world that he is the greatest of all time.
"I'm the greatest batsman of all time," Gayle told ESPNCricinfo after his breathtaking innings, which was decorated with a world record 18 sixes. Gayle was responding to a question whether he consdiers himself as the Bradman of T20 cricket.
He is certainly not far from being termed the greatest of all time when it comes to T20 cricket. His 146 off 69 balls was the highest ever T20 score in a tournament final. Add to that his 20 hundreds and 11000 runs in the same format, he becomes a runaway favourite for that tag.
Having said all that, it still takes a lot of courage to announce to the world that you are greatest of all time. The West Indian opener did not stop his self-admiration there.
"You actually look back and say well done. You tap yourself on the back. It is a winning effort as well, which makes it more special for me. So I am glad that we came out on top. I would put it in the top five [among T20 centuries], certainly for the occasion as well. I will have to reflect where this takes place. It is right up there," Said Gayle.
Gayle’s 69-ball 146-run effort came after he had notched up 126 in the eliminator barely four days ago.
Gayle also spoke about his healthy relation with opening partner Brendon McCullum, who scored a valuable 51 and stitched a record 199-run stand for the second wicket with him.
"When we arrived in Bangladesh, everyone was so excited to see Gayle and McCullum. It didn't happen early on in the tournament, but I am glad it happened when it mattered. It is not about trying to outdo each other. The communication and understanding was very good."