World Cricket News

Twenty20 World Cup gets underway in England Partab Ramchand looks back at the top ten moments from the inaugural event two years ago in South Africa beginning with Gayle's hurricane hundred in the opening match.

The inaugural Twenty20 World Cup could not have had a more thunderous start thanks to the pyrotechnics displayed by Chris Gayle.

The swashbuckling West Indian opening batsman hit the first century in a Twenty20 international lighting up the floodlit sky at Johannesburg with an awesome show of power-packed hitting in the opening match against South Africa.

He cut the first ball of the match for four but preferred the aerial approach thereafter.

Gayle hit ten sixes to all corners of the ground, including two out of the stadium.

His hundred was notched up off 50 balls and he was ultimately out for 117 off 57 balls with seven fours besides those sixes.

Astonishingly, Gayle (seen celebrating his hundred) finished on the losing side as the West Indian score of 205 for six was overhauled by the hosts with eight wickets and 2.2 overs to spare.