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JOY BEFORE THE STORM . . . Zimbabwe seamer Tinashe Panyangara is mobbed by his teammates after striking in his first over to remove Dwayne Smith for a duck in yesterday’s World Cup tie against the West Indies. — Cricinfo

CANBERRA. — Hurricane Gayle struck the Australian capital yesterday, on a day when records tumbled at the Manuka Oval, but amid all the destruction and a 73-run (D/L) defeat, Zimbabwe captain Elton Chigumbura remained in a positive frame.

Chris Gayle, saying the world demanded that he produces one mighty knock, responded in spectacular fashion with the first double hundred in the World Cup after smashing 16 sixes and 10 fours, on his way to 215 off just 147 deliveries.

“This is the first time since I’ve been playing international cricket that I have received so many messages. It felt like even my enemy wanted me to do well,” he said.

“Around the world, I have entertained a lot of people, and I felt like they all wanted me to do it again. Even last night, I was having dinner with Sulieman Benn and he said, ‘Chris, you average over 50 against Zimbabwe,’ so it felt like everybody wanted me to do well and I really wanted to get some runs.”

The Windies star’s 215 is now the highest score in World Cup history, having gone past Gary Kirsten’s 16-year old record of 188 not out, and he became the only man in history to score a Twenty20 century, an ODI double ton, and a Test triple hundred. Gayle’s double century was the fifth in ODI cricket, and the third-highest score in ODI history.

He also became the first non-Indian batsman to score an ODI double century. Incidentally, his 215 was the first double ton scored outside India. For the first time all five highest ODI scores are double centuries.

Gayle’s 215 came exactly six years to the day Sachin Tendulkar broke the 200-run barrier for the first time in ODI history.

Tendulkar’s 200 not out against South Africa was scored on February 24, 2010.

This was the first time a batsman scored over 200 and another over 100 in the same innings in an ODI and this was the first time in ODI history that a player scored over 200 and also took a wicket (it is also the only time a player who has scored over 200 has bowled) in the same match.

Curiously, while only three batsmen batted in the innings — Gayle was dismissed off the final ball of the innings — they scored a duck, a century and a double century between them.

West Indies’ innings was also the third-longest team innings featuring only three batsmen. The longest innings was also recorded by West Indies, with Gordon Greenidge, Desmond Haynes, and Viv Richards being the protagonists on that occasion. Gayle and Marlon Samuels’ effort is also the only 300-plus partnership scored in the 21st century. The 372-run stand is over 100 runs more than the previous best ODI partnership for West Indies — 258 between Darren Bravo and Denesh Ramdin which came in 2014.

The partnership was also the longest in terms of balls faced 298 legitimate deliveries and they went past Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar’s 278-ball 331-run partnership.

Gayle combined with Marlon Samuels to put on 372 — the highest-ever partnership in ODI history. It was also only the third ever 300-plus partnership in ODI cricket, the first by a non-Indian duo, and the first such partnership that does not involve Rahul Dravid.

“Chris Gayle is a hard guy to bowl to when he starts hitting, so some of the plans you might try to put them into play but maybe the way we bowled our execution wasn’t right,” said Chigumbura.

“The percentage was maybe 80 out of a 100 on execution. It has cost us and it’s not the first game that we are giving away too many runs at the end. We just have to go out and work on our last 15 overs.

“It is a good positive for the team that we are batting well so it’s a matter of polishing up one department which is our death bowling and if we can do that then we hopefully can have a good game with the ball and the bat.”

Chigumbura remained optimistic that Zimbabwe, under new coach, Dav Whatmore, could still reach the quarter-finals by winning their remaining three games against Pakistan, Ireland and India.

Zimbabwe’s next match is against Pakistan on Sunday before they close their group campaign with games against Ireland and India. — Sports Reporter/Cricketcountry/Cricinfo.