Gayle century blasts West Indies to title

West Indies 181 for 3 (Gayle 110*) beat Canada 179 (Rizwan 61, Taylor 3-33) by seven wickets
Scorecard

	Chris Gayle's big hitting has dominated attacks all over the world © Eddie Norfolk

Chris Gayle showed he was a class above his opponents with an unbeaten 110 that secured West Indies a seven-wicket win over the hosts Canada in the final of the Associates Tri-series. Chasing the home team's 179, Gayle thrashed 14 fours and six sixes during his 77-ball stay as his side stormed to the title.

The force of Gayle, the visiting captain, was so strong that the match ended with 22.3 overs remaining. "It was good to get among the runs again and make a contribution to the victory," Gayle said. "I got a good start and decided I would capitalise and make the most of it today. Some people may want to say, 'just Canada no big thing', but it is always good to get a ton. I'm truly happy."

Sewnarine Chattergoon, the other opener, helped Gayle with 23 while the wicketkeeper Carlton Baugh chipped in with 29. The debutant Balaji Rao Dorakanti collected both Baugh and Leon Johnson, but it was too late to alter the course of a one-way contest.

Jerome Taylor's three strikes and two from Nikita Miller helped West Indies smother Canada, while three run-outs, including two from Brendan Nash, added to the difficulties. Rizwan Cheema, the Man of the Series, stood tall at the top of the order with 61 off 45, but nobody was able to lift the tempo when he fell at 99 for 4.

"It was an overall team effort and I'm delighted with the way we performed to win and win in style," Gayle said. "We came with a specific game plan and we stuck to it. Canada played well in the earlier matches and we wanted to make sure we did not let them have too many opportunities. We wanted to make sure we played better cricket than they did."

As expected, West Indies went through the tournament undefeated, but Gayle remained pleased with the results. "Overall I would say we had a very good tour," he said. "It gave some new players an opportunity to showcase their skills and they took the chances with both hands."