Hope surpasses Gayle with record-breaking T20I century

West Indies captain Shai Hope surpassed Chris Gayle to become his country’s leading century-maker in men’s T20 internationals after smashing his second hundred of the series against India on Wednesday.

Hope scored an unbeaten 102 off just 50 balls in the fourth T20I in Hyderabad, reaching his century in dramatic fashion by hitting Nitish Kumar Reddy for six on each of the final two deliveries he faced.

The century took Hope’s tally to three in 74 matches and 72 innings, moving him past Gayle and Evin Lewis, who had scored two hundreds each in the format.

Gayle achieved his two centuries in 79 matches and 75 innings, while Lewis reached the same tally in 67 matches and 66 innings.

Hope had also scored an unbeaten 102 off 45 balls in the second T20I of the ongoing series, helping West Indies secure a memorable victory. Four days later, he produced another century to underline his remarkable form against India.

His latest innings powered West Indies to an imposing total of 247 for three.

Hope’s repeated unbeaten scores of 102 have added another unusual feat to his record. He also remained not out on 102 in his maiden T20I century against Australia in July last year, scoring the runs off 57 balls.

The West Indies captain has also become the fifth batter in the world to score multiple centuries in a bilateral T20I series. England’s Phil Salt, India’s Sanju Samson and Tilak Varma, and Spain’s Mohammad Ihsan have previously achieved the feat.