CHRIS GAYLE SCORED A CENTURY in the opening match of the ICC World T20 Cricket Competition as West Indies chased down 183 to beat England by six wickets in Mumbai.
Gayle raced to 100 off 48 balls, the third fastest T20 century, biding his time after compatriot Marlon Samuel (37) had faced the majority of the strike in the early overs.
Opener Johnson Charles was dismissed for a duck off the second ball. Â
With five fours and 11 devastating sixes in just over an hour and a half at the crease, Gayle caught afire to the delight of his fans in India.
West Indies reached 183 for four in reply to England’s 182 for eight, joining the Women with a win in the opening match.
READ: West Indies Women start with win
Joe Root topscored in England’s innings with 48. Jos Buttler and Alex Hales chipped in with 30 and 28, respectively and captain Eoin Morgan was unbeaten on 27. Andre Russell took two for 36.
Summarised scores:
England 182 for eight in 20 overs (Joe Root 48, Jos Buttler 30, Alex Hales 28, Eoin Morgan 27 n.o., Jason Roy 15, Ben Stokes 15; Andre Russell 2-36). West Indies 183 for four in 18.1 overs (Chris Gayle 100 n.o., Marlon Samuels 37, Andre Russell 16 n.o., Denesh Ramdin 12 ). West Indies won by six wickets with 11 balls remaining.
