A thrusting Jamaican left-hander, Gayle earned himself a black mark on his first senior tour - to England in 2000 - where the new boys were felt to be insufficiently respectful of their elders. But a lack of respect, for opposition bowlers at least, has served Gayle well since then. Tall and imposing at the crease, he loves to carve through the covers off either foot, and has the ability to decimate the figures of even the thriftiest of opening bowlers.

In a lean era for West Indian cricket - and fast bowling in particular - Gayle's pugnacious approach has become an attacking weapon in its own right. His 79-ball century at Cape Town in January 2004, on the back of a South African first innings of 532, was typical of his no-holds-barred approach. However, Gayle's good run ended when England came calling early in 2004, and he averaged 26 against their potent pace attack - Steve Harmison, in particular, fancied his chances against Gayle, dismissing him four times in seven innings, as a lack of positive footwork was exposed. But men with little footwork often baffle experts, and after returning to form with an uncharacteristic century against Bangladesh, he exacted his revenge on England's bowlers with a battering not seen since Lara's 400, before coming within a whisker of emulating Lara himself, with a career-best 317 against South Africa in Antigua. In the disastrous 2005-06 tour of New Zealand he led the batting in the three-Test series, piling 235 runs - no other West Indian touched the 200-run mark. He also bowls brisk non-turning offspin, with which he has turned himself into a genuine one-day allrounder. Maturing quickly, he has become a consistently prolific scorer in the ODIs. He averaged over 40 in the 2006-07 season with three hundreds - an unbeaten 133 against South Africa in the Champions Trophy being the highlight, and three fifties. But expected to be one of the stars of the World Cup in the Caribbean, his batting was a major disappointment. In the absence of the injured Ramnaresh Sarwan for their tour in 2007, Gayle was handed the captaincy for the limited-overs series in England and Ireland and found immediate success by beating England 2-1. He also led in the Test series against South Africa, leaving with a 1-1 result, and was retained as captain ahead of Sarwan for the home Tests against Sri Lanka in 2008. A subsequent Test and ODI defeat at home against Australia led him to quit the captaincy, but he changed his mind, and the following season was instrumental in the defeats of England, both as captain of the Stanford Superstars in their winner-takes-all US$20million match in Antigua in November, and the Test team that secured a 1-0 triumph to bring home the Wisden Trophy after a nine-year hiatus. By now, however, the Indian Premier League was taking over as his primary concern - Gayle's US$800,000 price-tag made him one of Kolkata's most expensive players, and though a groin injury ruled him out of the first edition in 2008, he played seven games in 2009 before flying to England just 48 hours before a Test match at Lord's against England. The match was lost in three days, leading a disillusioned Gayle to declare that he "would not be so sad" if Test cricket died out.

• September 1999
  An unflattering start
  • Makes his international debut in a series of one-dayers against India and Pakistan in Toronto. Has a horror run in the middle order, reaching double-figures only once in five innings.
    
• July 20, 2000
  Ice-cool Gayle
  • Picks up his first Man-of-the-Match award, after bowling a nerveless final over in a one-dayer against England to hand West Indies a three-run victory in Nottingham.
    
• February 19, 2001
  Quadruple-century stand
  • Representing Jamaica in a Busta Cup match against West Indies B, Gayle racks up an unbroken 425-run stand for the first wicket with Leon Garrick, the first 400-plus partnership in the region's history.
    
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• March 9-13, 2001
  Finding his feet
  • Returning to Tests after nine months, he makes his first significant contribution in the format, a power-packed 81 against South Africa in Guyana.
    
• July 19-22, 2001
  Toying with Zimbabwe
  • Blasts 34 boundaries on his way to his maiden Test century, a 175 against Zimbabwe in Bulawayo, to set up an innings-and-176-run mauling.
    
• January 31-February 4, 2002
  A high during a low spell
  • After three ducks in a row against Sri Lanka, Gayle top scores with boundary-filled 60s in both innings against Pakistan in Sharjah, but can't save West Indies from going down by 170 runs. Only thrice does he go past 15 in his next ten innings.
    
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• June 28-July 2, 2002
  A dashing double
  • Posts his first Test double century against New Zealand in Grenada, with his second hundred coming off only 115 deliveries. It gives West Indies the first-innings lead but isn't enough to set up a win that was needed to save the series.
    
• November 2002
  Hitting the high notes
  • Has a spectacular run in a one-day series in India, blasting 103, 72, 140 and 101 in consecutive matches, though only two of those efforts end in West Indian victories in a high-scoring series.
    
• April 6, 2003
  Double-wicket trouble
  • Is axed for allegedly violating an eligibility rule that demanded playing in a West Indies domestic tournament for selection to the senior side. He had missed the final, featuring his Jamaican side, and instead participated in an international double-wicket tournament in St.Lucia. Returns after missing two Tests against Australia.
    
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• June 1, 2003
  The all-round Gayle
  • Takes five wickets for the first time at the international level to curtail Australia to 247 during a one-dayer in Grenada. Then returns to slap 60 brisk runs as West Indies romp to one of their biggest wins over the world champions. Within a year, he completes the climb to No. 1 allrounder in ODIs.
    
• January 2-6, 2004
  Cape Town carnage
  • Shows off his hitting ability by carting the ninth quickest Test century - off 79 deliveries - against South Africa in Cape Town. He smashes 19 fours and a six as West Indies reach 178 for 1 in the 35 overs before stumps on the second day.
    
• March 2005
  Sponsorship dispute
  • Is among the senior players dropped from the Tests against South Africa because he has a personal contract with Cable & Wireless, a rival to official sponsor Digicel. After weeks of high drama, and Gayle and Co missing the first Test, the dispute is resolved after Gayle and Ramnaresh Sarwan end their contracts.
    
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• April 29 - May 3, 2005
  Triple delight
  • Makes the highest Test score against South Africa (317) on the flattest of tracks at the Antigua Recreation Ground. His ten-and-a-half hour effort is the highlight of West Indies' mammoth 747 during which all 11 South Africa players have a bowl.
    
• November 2, 2006
  Grounding South Africa
  • In the semi-final of the ICC Champions Trophy in Jaipur, West Indies are set a seemingly challenging target of 259 on a pitch where the ball isn't coming on to the bat. Gayle turns it into a no-contest with a near run-a-ball 133 that seals a place in the final with six overs to go.
    
• June 14, 2007
  At the helm
  • Is handed the captaincy of West Indies for their limited-overs series in England. He impresses with his leadership skills but within a week there's controversy as he criticises the board over arrangements for the tour. Five months later, he takes over as captain in all formats.
    
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• September 11, 2007
  Made for Twenty20
  • Blasts the first international Twenty20 century in the opening match of the inaugural World Twenty20, against South Africa in Johannesburg, but his effort is overshadowed by Herschelle Gibbs' 90 as the home side overhaul the target of 206.
    
• August 2008
  Captain no more?
  • Sends a letter of resignation to the WICB, reportedly because of unhappiness with the selection policy during the just-concluded Australia series. Changes his mind two weeks later and continues as captain of West Indies.
    
• November 1, 2008
  Millionaire Superstars
  • The Stanford Superstars storm to a 10-wicket win over England in Antigua, and with it the US$20 million bounty. Captain Gayle stars with an unbeaten 45-ball 65.
    
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• December 19-23, 2008
  Ending a drought
  • Makes his first Test century in three-and-a-half years with an uncharacteristically watchful 197 in the second innings against New Zealand in Napier. It ensures West Indies set a large enough target to ensure a draw.
    
• May 13, 2009
  Not a fan of Tests
  • Lands in England only 48 hours before a Test series due to an extended stint with the Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL. Sparks outrage a week later when he says he "wouldn't be so sad" if Tests vanished in favour of Twenty20s.
    
• June 6, 2009
  Blowing Australia away
  • In an innings of raw, unadulterated power, he bludgeons 88 off 50 deliveries to power West Indies past Australia in their campaign opener of the World Twenty20 at The Oval. The highlight of the innings is a Brett Lee over, which Gayle clobbers for 27 runs.
    
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• November 2, 2009
  Back in the saddle
  • A contractual dispute between leading West Indian players and the region's board means Gayle and the entire first-choice squad is axed for the series against Bangladesh and the ICC Champions Trophy in South Africa. Gayle returns as captain for the tour of Australia after the players end their strike.
    
• December 2009
  Steely resolve
  • After tumbling to defeat in three days in the first Test against Australia, he revives the team with a restrained century in the second innings of the next Test in Adelaide. He carries the bat for a patient 165 which gives West Indies an outside chance of winning. Then, he whips up the fifth-fastest Test century in the next game in Perth, a match Australia go on to win narrowly.
    
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