Chris Gayle first West Indies player to play 300 one-dayers

Dubai: West Indies opener Chris Gayle on Sunday became the only West Indies cricketer to play 300 One Day Internationals when he took the field to play the second ODI against India at Port of Spain. The first match was abandoned due to rains.

The ‘Universe Boss,’ as he is known as, is also on the threshold of another landmark - he is just seven runs short of becoming the highest run-scorer for West Indies in one-day cricket. The 39-year-old is on the cusp of going past former Windies skipper Brian Lara’s record of 10,348 runs.

Gayle has two one-dayers, including this one, to sign off on top of the heap as the third ODI is scheduled at the same venue on August 14. He is scheduled to retire from all forms of international cricket after the series as he has been ignored for the two-Test series against India later this month.

While Lara’s tally came in 295 ODIs and included 19 centuries and 62 fifties, Gayle is playing his 300th ODI - including the three one-dayers he played for ICC World XI.

Gayle is also the only West Indian to score a double century in one-day cricket, slamming 215 against Zimbabwe at the 2015 World Cup in Canberra.