Shai Hope matches Chris Gayle's record with maiden T20I century
What's the story
West Indies captain Shai Hope has matched a historic record set by legendary cricketer Chris Gayle. Albeit in a losing cause, Hope scored an impressive 102* runs off just 57 balls in the third T20I against Australia at Warner Park, Basseterre, St. Kitts. The innings was instrumental in West Indies posting a total of 214/4 in the first innings. This was Hope's first-ever T20I century as Gayle is the only other WI batter with tons across all three international formats.
Knock
A fine knock from Hope
West Indies had a strong start with a 125-run opening stand between Hope and Brandon King. The duo hit 12 sixes and scored at a strike rate of over 170. While King was dismissed for 62, Hope returned unbeaten on 102*. Their combined efforts meant the home team finished at 214/4. Nathan Ellis, Mitchell Owen, and Adam Zampa claimed one wicket apiece.
Milestone achievement
Hope joins this elite list
With his stellar knock, Shai Hope joined an elite group of players who have scored centuries in all three formats of international cricket. As mentioned, Gayle is the only other Caribbean player on this list besides Hope. Notably, Hope has hammered 17 hundreds in the ODI format and two in Test matches as well. Overall, he became the fifth WI batter with a T20I hundred, joining Gayle, Evin Lewis, Johnson Charles, and Rovman Powell.
Career
Dissecting his T20I numbers
Hope's 102* off 55 balls was laced with eight boundaries and six maximums. Playing his 46th T20I as per ESPNcricinfo, Hope has raced to 1,161 runs at an average of 30.55 (SR: 141.58). The tally now includes seven fifties besides a ton. 182 of his T20I runs have come against the Aussies at an average of 45.50. This was his second 50-plus score of the series.
Match summary
Australia's chase led by Tim David
Despite a poor start with openers Mitchell Marsh and Glenn Maxwell scoring 22 and 20 runs respectively, Australia managed to chase down the target. Tim David and Mitch Owen were instrumental in the chase, with David scoring an impressive 102* off just 37 balls while Owen contributed an unbeaten 36 off just 16 deliveries. Australia won the match by six wickets in just 16.1 overs.