Chris Gayle waved to all sides of Headingley as he walked off the field for the last time at a Cricket World Cup. Upon reaching the boundary edge, he was met by Afghanistan captain Gulbadin Naib who bowed before the West Indies great.
It wasn’t the perfect farewell for the man otherwise known as the “Universe Boss” — Gayle’s last World Cup innings was a scratchy 18-ball 7 — but he still made a telling contribution in his own inimitable style.
With his occasional off-spin, Gayle took the pivotal wicket of Ikram Ali Khil for 86 that sparked a mini-collapse as Afghanistan stumbled in its pursuit of 312 in a match between the World Cup’s two worst teams on Thursday.
“I’m sure we’re going to use this as a platform for the next four years,” said Hope, “and hopefully we can have something stronger.”
It will be without Gayle, however.
“I don’t think we’re going to cry about it,” Hope added. “I think we have a lot to cherish.”