TORONTO, Canada (CMC) – Veteran opener Chris Gayle slammed his 22nd Twenty20 hundred but rain had the final say as the Global T20 Canada contest between Vancouver Knights and Montreal Tigers ended in a no-result in Canada on Monday night.
Sent in at the CAA Centre, Knights piled up a record 276 for three off their 20 overs – the highest ever franchise T20 total and the second highest T20 total overall.
The left-handed Gayle was the catalyst with a breathtaking unbeaten 122 off 54 deliveries with seven fours and a dozen sixes.
South African Rassie van der Dussen struck 56 from 25 deliveries, while Dutchman Tobias Visee blasted a 19-ball 51 as Knights embarked on an astonishing run-spree.
Facing a record run chase, rain during the break then prevented Tigers from facing a single delivery, as the match was eventually called off due to bad weather.
By then, however, Gayle had treated spectators to a storm of his own. The 39-year-old started slowly and it was Visee who dominated the opening stand of 63 off 27 deliveries, lashing 11 fours and a six.
When Visee perished in the fifth over, Gayle had managed just 11 runs from eight deliveries but he quickly took charge of the innings in a stunning display of power-hitting.
He raced to his half-century off 27 balls, reaching his landmark by clearing the ropes at mid-wicket with off-spinner Nikhil Dutta in the 12th over.
Gayle then required only another 20 deliveries to reach triple figures, again bringing up the achievement in style when he deposited West Indies teammate, off-spinner Sunil Narine, over long on for six in the 17th over.
Along the way, Gayle added 67 for the second wicket with fellow Jamaican and Windies batsman, Chadwick Walton (29) and a further 139 for the third wicket with van der Dussen whose innings included three fours and five sixes.