Published on 12:00 AM, December 13, 2017

'Only one Universe Boss'

Chris Gayle smashed an unbeaten 146 off 69 deliveries in last season's BPL final against Dhaka Dynamites. He hit 18 towering sixes as Gayle storm took over Mirpur. Photo: Firoz Ahmed

Question (Q): Cometh the hour, cometh the man. Scoring a hundred in a T20 final, must have been a box you wanted to tick.

Chris Gayle (CG): "Thank you so much. It is a big game, a big occasion. To actually stand out and get a century in a final, you actually look back and say well done. You tap yourself on the back. It is a winning effort as well, which makes it more special for me. So I am glad that we came out on top.

Q: You didn't start too quickly, was that part of the plan?

CG: They started well. We had a slow start. We lost [Johnson] Charles a bit early. [Brendon] McCullum came in. We had to give ourselves a chance to bat as deep as possible. It was important for one of us to bat right through the innings. It actually set the momentum for us. We didn't let their best bowlers get wickets.

Q: When you were batting, did you set any goals?

CG: In a very important game like a final, I look to bat 15 overs. Once I bat that deep, the bowlers will tend to be more tentative in the back end; you will get more loose balls once I am in the middle. The other batter can feed off that as well.

Q: Where would you rank this innings among your 20 T20 hundreds?

CG: I would put it in the top five, certainly for the occasion as well. I will have to reflect where this takes place. It is right up there.

Q: What did you think of your captain?

CG: Mash is a great captain. He has a lot of experience behind him. He is a cool guy; he will talk some crazy stuff and make you laugh, make you relaxed. It is always good to be led by Mash. He doesn't give up till the end. He is a good listener as well. The respect from him was good as well.

Q: Have you seen a batsman better at hitting sixes?

CG: Na na na, there's only one Universe Boss. Only one, only one. [Evin] Lewis is in the making. Be aware of him.

Q: We didn't see Gangnam Style.

CG: My ankle was twisted so I couldn't jump too much. We have to celebrate winning a big tournament. It is a long tournament, so overall every player deserves to have fun. I have been coming here every BPL season. You guys should be thankful to the South Africa T20 was called off because I was going to go there. InshAllah, I will be back next year and entertain you guys.

Q: Where do you want to take yourself in T20s?

CG: 11,000 runs, that's a fantastic achievement. I actually do it for the people, to be honest with you. I am 38. I am entertaining the fans for as long as possible. I will look to win cups for whichever teams I am playing for.

Q: How many centuries do you want to score in T20s?

CG: I just want to hit sixes, and the centuries will come.

Q: Are you the greatest T20 player of all time?

CG: No, I am the greatest player of all time.