On this Day in 2007: The first-ever individual T20I century
The inaugural ICC T20 World Cup went underway in Johannesburg on September 11, 2007, with South Africa taking on West Indies. What unfolded for the next three hours, on this day, was a spectacle and it remains to be one of the best World Cup games of all time. And it was that day, that Chris Gayle, the “Universe Boss”, announced himself on the T20 stage with one of his more memorable T20 innings.
It all kicked off with the home captain Graeme Smith winning the toss and opting to field first. West Indies came out with all guns blazing as openers Gayle and Devon Smith amassed 145 runs for the opening wicket in only 13.3 overs before Smith was dismissed for 35 off 34. None of the other batters went past a score of 15, barring Gayle, who scored a splendid 117 off 57 balls with seven fours and ten sixes.
This was the first ever hundred in T20Is and the West Indian opener achieved it in only 50 balls. West Indies finished with 205 for the loss of six wickets in 20 overs. The pick of the Proteas bowlers was the pacer, Johan van der Wath, who finished with two wickets for 33 runs in four overs. South Africa needed a strong start, and their opening pair of Smith and Herschelle Gibbs added 54 on board in 5.2 overs, before Smith was dismissed for 28 off 21.
Number three batter AB de Villiers had a short stay with a knock of 16 off 9 balls and then came Justin Kemp with South Africa on 88 for the loss of two wickets in 8.1 overs. The third-wicket partnership between Gibbs and Kemp completely took the game out of the Windies’ grasp with Gibbs scoring an unbeaten 90 off 55 balls and Kemp scoring an explosive 46 off 22.
South Africa completed the chase in 17.4 overs with eight wickets in hand to script a famous T20I win for the Proteas in front of their home crowd. On what was a tough day for bowlers, pacer Fidel Edwards finished with respectable figures of 1 for 21 in three overs. Although Gayle’s memorable ton went in vain, he was named the Player of the Match.
