Chris Gayle

Chris Gayle never did things by half. One of only four men with two Test triple centuries, 317 against South Africa in Antigua in 2005 and 333 against Sri Lanka at Galle in 2010, the big Jamaican nevertheless rewired the game in its shortest form. His 175 not out off 66 balls for Royal Challengers Bangalore in the 2013 IPL remains the highest score in the tournament's history, a knock that felt like a declaration of intent for an entire generation.

Gayle's international career stretched over twenty years and every format. He scored the first century in T20 internationals, at the inaugural World T20 in 2007, and no one has hit more sixes in top-level cricket. At his peak he opened the batting with a swagger that bent games to his will, whether grinding out a Test hundred or muscling a team to victory in the Caribbean Premier League. More than 10,000 ODI runs and a mountain of T20 runs, the most in the format's history, tell only part of the story.

He was central to West Indies' 2004 Champions Trophy win and their T20 World Cup triumphs of 2012 and 2016, and off the field the self-styled Universe Boss became a personality bigger than the sport. Critics pointed to occasional disengagement; supporters remember what he produced when it mattered.

Gayle last played for West Indies at the 2021 T20 World Cup and wound down with franchise appearances around the world before stepping away from the game. He did not just play cricket; he made it an event.