Chris Gayle scored a mind-numbing 215 off a mere 147 balls against Zimbabwe, thereby becoming the first man to break the 200-run barrier in World Cup history. Shiamak Unwalla feels that Gayle’s innings evoked memories of a rampaging Hulk. READ: Chris Gayle scores 200 against Zimbabwe in ICC World Cup 2015
“I’m a huge fan of the way you lose control and turn into an enormous green rage monster.” Tony ‘Ironman’ Stark’s famous line in The Avengers perfectly reflects how most people view West Indies cricketer Christopher Henry Gayle. The man whose recent form had been abysmal — an average of 17.8 in his last 10 matches with a highest score of 58 and a strike rate of 73.25 — decided that the world had seen enough of Bruce Banner. It was now time for the enormous rage monster. READ: Chris Gayle only man in history to score T20I century, ODI double ton and Test triple hundred
If Brendon McCullum is cricket’s Wolverine, Gayle can only be The Hulk. Few men in international cricket can hit the ball as long and hard as the Caribbean steamroller; that much was never in doubt. But where others utilise timing and innovation, Gayle needs only his brute force to bludgeon the ball over the ropes at will. READ: Chris Gayle registers highest-ever World Cup score
Let us look at a few similarities between Hulk and Gayle. The Hulk is a physically imposing mass of muscle and unreal strength; Gayle is obviously less bulky, but no less imposing — and his strength is certainly not normal. READ: Chris Gayle score 5th double-century in ODI history
Another similarity between the two behemoths is the colour schemes; Hulk is a natural green, though there is also a similar character called Red Hulk (it’s a comic book logic, don’t judge!), while Gayle wears a similar reddish colour while playing for West Indies. However, when he plays for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), he sometimes wears green during the RCB Go Green campaign. READ: Chris Gayle becomes first non-Indian to score ODI 200
While their personalities might seem completely at odds at first glance — Hulk gets stronger the angrier he becomes, while Gayle is the king of cool — in truth they are more similar than one would think. Bruce Banner had remarked to Captain America, “That’s my secret, Captain; I’m always angry,” before launching a full-on attack against an evil alien monster. One can envision Gayle saying that to his skipper just before he went out to bat against Zimbabwe. READ: Chris Gayle equals record for most sixes in ODI innings
And then there is Hulk’s catchphrase: “Hulk Smash!” While Gayle might not have a catchphrase of his own, his bat certainly does a lot of smashing. This World Cup has already revealed two of cricket’s superheroes in Wolverine (McCullum) and Hulk. It will be interesting to see which other superheroes reveal their secret identities in the coming days! ICC Cricket World Cup 2015: POINTS TABLE
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(Shiamak Unwalla, a reporter with CricketCountry, is a self-confessed Sci-Fi geek and Cricket fanatic. You can follow him on Twitter @ShiamakUnwalla)
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