Chris Gayle is arguably the best musician in cricket today. The Jamaican national has played for the West Indies since 1999, and he's also known to play the guitar and piano. He launched his music career back in November 2020 with the release of 'We Come Out To Party.'
Chris Gayle
42-year-old Christopher Henry Gayle (aka UniverseBoss or Gayle force) was born in Kingston, Jamaica, on September 21st, 1979. The all-rounder cricketer has broken multiple records in his playing time, and he is regarded by many as one of the greatest batsmen ever to grace Twenty20 cricket. As talented as he is on the field, he is also carving out a name for himself in the music industry.
He was a key player in his national side that won the 2004 ICC Champions Trophy, the 2012 ICC World Twenty20 and the 2016 ICC World Twenty20, and he has played for the West Indies more times than any other player. He started his cricket career with the Lucas Cricket Club in Kingston, Jamaica, and he then went on to have successful spells at Kolkata Knight Riders, Western Australia, Royal Challengers Bangalore, Sydney Thunder, Jamaica Tallawahs, Somerset, St Kitts and Nevis Patriots, Rangpur Riders, Punjab Kings, and, most recently, Jozi Stars.
Personal records and honours
Gayle has been successful in all three formats of cricket; Test Matches, One Day Internationals, and Twenty20 (T20) Internationals, and some of the most notable records he has set at domestic level include being the first and only batsman to hit 300 sixes in the Indian Premier League. He's also the fastest batsman to score 4,000 runs in the same league. He has the joint record for the fastest T20 half-century, having achieved it in just 12 balls, and he scored the most number of sixes in a single T20 innings while playing in the 2017/18 Bangladesh Premier League.
When you look at some of the records he set at an international level, you will see that he is the only player to have scored a triple of centuries across all three formats. He has scored more than 14,000 runs and hit more than 1,000 sixes in T20 cricket, and he is the only player to hit a six on the first ball of a test match. Gayle also once scored the most runs (474) in a single ICC Champions Trophy series.
While playing for his country, Gayle scored 42 centuries, including two Twenty20 International centuries, 15 Test centuries, and 25 One Day International centuries, and he is the highest run scorer for the West Indies in One Day Internationals. He is the 14th player in the world (and the second West Indies player after Brian Lara) to score more than 10,000 runs in ODI's, and in the 2015 World Cup, he hit the fastest ever double century while playing against Zimbabwe.
While playing for the West Indies, he helped the team win the ICC Champions Trophy in 2004, the ICC World Twenty20 in 2012 and then again in 2016. While playing for the Jamaica Tallawahs, he won the Caribbean Premier League in 2013 and 2016, and while playing for the Rangpur Riders, he won the Bangladesh Premier League in 2017. He then went on to win the Global T20 Canada event in 2018 while playing for the Vancouver Knights. In the same year, he won the Afghanistan Premier League with the Balkh Legends. Chris Gayle is also known as the brand ambassador of 10CRIC, and for many gamblers and cricket fans around the world, he has always been a popular player on which to place a wager.
Musical life
His dancehall music video called 'We Come Out To Party' is available to watch on the official Chris Gayle YouTube channel, where you can also view some of his other hits that have become equally famous, such as Don't Go, Tump, Wikid Ting, I Ain't Leaving, and Punjab Daddy. Other hits include Star Athlete, Star Girl, Train Line, Out a Di Park, and Oh Mama. This particular genre/style of music is known now as Afrobeats, or Soca, while the Dancehall-style music video to tracks such as We Come Out To Party is a popular Jamaican genre of music that originated in the late 70s.
While some have said that his venture into the music industry won't last, he seems adamant that it isn't just a passing fad. He intends to mix things up by including a wider variety of musical genres in his work, and the cricket legend wants to continue creating high-energy tunes that will hopefully reach a global audience of listeners. There are no other cricketers out there today, or players that have come before him, that have transitioned from the cricket pitch to the recording studio and been successful at both quite like he has. Only time will tell if his music will be remembered as much as his time on the pitch will be remembered.
What's next for the cricketing legend?
Sports stars tend to have much shorter careers than most other industries, and as a cricketer, he has already lasted longer than most players generally do. However, his playing days are almost certainly soon to be over for good. It would be great if he could keep on creating hit tunes long after he has left the field. He seems to have a great passion for music, and his creative side could see him becoming a musical legend too, not just in his home country but also around the world.
As recently as June 2022, the West Indies launched a new T10 cricket tournament full of little surprises, and Chris Gayle is the official ambassador for what is known as the new West Indian cricket tournament 6ixty. In short, there are 60 balls with only six wickets each side, and also a 'mystery free hit.' It's set to be played for the first time in August 2022 in Saint Kitts. 6ixty has even been endorsed by the International Cricket Council (ICC), and it's scheduled to commence just before the West Indies Caribbean Premier League (CPL) T20 tournament. Although this new format has had its fair share of critics, it has had positive feedback from cricket fans who are excited to see how it goes.
So, what are the rules of 6ixty?
There are ten overs a side, and instead of ten wickets, each batting team has just six wickets. The team that's batting can unlock a floating third powerplay over by hitting two sixes in the initial two-over powerplay, and rather than switching ends after each over, both teams will bowl five consecutive overs from each end. If teams don't manage to bowl their ten overs within 45 minutes, one of the fielders will be removed for the final six balls. That's not all. Fans will also be able to vote for a 'mystery free hit' via an app or website. It sounds a lot more complicated than it actually is, and it's something that the cricketing world will no doubt be keeping a close eye on.
