Xtra Time Web Desk: It was definitely an end of an era in West Indies cricket as two of the biggest players in T20 format, Chris Gayle and Dwayne Bravo played their last World Cup game against Australia on Saturday at Abu Dhabi in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2021.
While Bravo has already announced his retirement, Gayle wants to hang his boots from international cricket in front of his home fans at Sabina Park in Jamaica.
The happenings inside the Sheikh Zayed Stadium on Saturday during and after the T20 World Cup game against Australia suggested that the swashbuckling Gayle has played his final game as he walked off to a standing ovation from his teammates after scoring a nine-ball 15 on Saturday.
The Windies great was seen signing on the camera and also distributed his cricketing gears to the fans in the stands after his team lost the match by eight wickets.
However, later it came to light that he is only “semi-retired” as of now.
“I’m semi-retired. I’m one away,” Gayle said ahead of the game, according to a report in the t20worldcup.com
After the match, speaking on the ICC’s post-match Facebook live show, Gayle clarified he has not yet retired but hinted that he is set to sign off.
“I was just having some fun today. Put everything that happened aside. I was just interacting with the fans in the stands and just having some fun seeing as it’s going to be my last World Cup game.”
“It’s been a phenomenal career. I didn’t announce any retirement but they actually gave me one game in Jamaica to go in front of my home crowd, then I can say ‘hey guys, thank you so much.’
Very few players have had more impact on T20 cricket than Christopher Henry Gayle. A two-time T20 World Cup-winning superstar, Gayle has 1899 runs in 79 T20Is. He averaged 28.11 and struck at 137.31. Gayle’s tally includes two centuries and 14 half-centuries. He also scalped 20 wickets in the shortest format.