Who is the first batsman to hit a century in T20 World Cup?

As we gear up for the eighth edition of the T20 World Cup 2022 in Australia, rewinding back the memorable performances from the tournament history brings an excitement factor among all cricketing fans.

The mega ICC tournament this year gets underway on October 16 and will see 16 teams battle it out for the prestigious trophy. While eight teams have qualified directly for the Super 12 stage, the First Round will determine the other four spots for the same.  

Notably, the maiden edition of the T20 World Cup was hosted by South Africa in 2007 and India emerged as the winners of the tournament by beating Pakistan in the finals. Throughout the tournament, a lot of records were broken and some unforgettable performances were registered too. One performance that grabbed the spotlight was Chris Gayle’s century in the very first game of the tournament against South Africa.  

In Group A’s first game in Johannesburg, South Africa skipper Graeme Smith opted to bowl first after winning the toss and the West Indies openers Chris Gayle and Devon Smith put on a show for the fans. The duo added 145 for the first wicket and Gayle scored the bulk of the runs among the two. The left-hander got to a stunning century and became the first player to score a ton in ICC T20 World Cups.  

Chris Gayle hits ten huge sixes in his innings

Chris Gayle's 117 run-knock off just 57 balls included ten huge sixes and seven fours at a strike rate of 205.26. He was dismissed in the 17th over and his terrific innings helped his side post a huge total of 205 for 6 in their 20 overs.

However, Herschelle Gibbs (90*) and Justin Kemp (46*) produced impactful performance in the second innings and Gayle ended up on the losing side despite his blistering knock.  

The big lad from Caribbean went on to score many more centuries in the T20 format post that, however, his performance against South Africa will be remembered for ages. It doesn’t get any better than scoring a century in the very first game of a World Cup and that record will be something that Gayle can be proud of always.