9. ZIMBABWE GETS BLOWN AWAY BY A GAYLE STORM
The weather in Canberra was pleasant and tranquil until a ferocious storm from West Indies arrived and caused massive destruction on February 24, 2015. It’s no ordinary storm mind you; people call it the ‘Gayle-Storm’, which has the potential to inflict severe damage on bowlers from the rival camps. Christopher Henry Gayle scripted an obscure record by slamming the first ever double century in the 40 year long history of the Cricket World Cup. The Zimbabweans led by Brendon Taylor were the victims of the Jamaican’s brutal assault as the latter clubbed 16 sixes on his way to 215 off 147 balls. In the process, he shattered records galore. He struck 16 sixes and 10 boundaries during his stay at the crease, which happens to be the fifth highest aggregate for runs scored in boundaries for an ODI knock. Gayle’s double ton is the sixth in ODI cricket and the fourth highest score in the fifty over format. The Jamaican giant stitched a humongous partnership worth 372 runs with his compatriot Marlon Samuels, who also scored a hundred in the same game (the highest ever ODI partnership). Gayle’s 215 was the highest individual score in World Cup history up until New Zealand’s Martin Guptill bettered it with a stellar 237* (off 163 balls) in New Zealand’s quarter final tie against West Indies in Wellington.
