BASSETERRE, St. Kitts - HISTORY was written on the opening day of the first test between West Indies and Bangladesh when Chris Gayle became the first batsman to strike the first ball of a Test for six runs.
The West Indian opener smoked off-spinner Sohag Gazi, a Test newcomer, over the rope for a straight six on the opening day of the first Test against at the Sher-e-Bangla Stadium.
The sport’s world governing body, the International Cricket Council, confirmed the feat – the first time it has been achieved since Tests started in 1877.
Gayle collected 18 runs from the opening over after the Bangladeshis chose to open the bowling with Gazi on a hard, easy-paced pitch.
The towering left-hander only made 24 after he got carried away and tried a similar stroke off the same bowler and was caught at long-off early in the morning session.
Meantime, Shivnarine Chanderpaul was undefeated on 123 while rookie fellow left-hander Kieran Powell made 117 and Denesh Ramdin was unbeaten on 52, as the regional side reached 361 for four in their first innings at the close.
Gayle also boast the record as the first individual to blast a century in an international Twenty/20 match as well as the record for most centuries (eight) in this shortened form of the game.
