Gayle ended his six-month exile from the team by hitting 12 sixes in a knock of 135.
Gayle, beginning a lap-of-honor that will end with retirement after this summer’s World Cup, was nearly caught when he was on just nine from 33 balls when he fended Liam Plunkett just over the grasping Roy at point.
Four balls later he struck his first six and began working through the gears, clattering four sixes from Plunkett’s 14 balls at him.
Where Gayle’s first 50 had occupied 76 balls, his second 50 required only 24. He celebrated the moment by dropping to his knees and hailing the pavilion before getting to his feet, balancing his maroon helmet on top of his bat.
He finally fell in the 47th over, turning a Ben Stokes slower ball into his stumps.
He surpassed Shahid Afridi’s world record of most sixes across formats. The left hand batsman dispatched Moeen Ali for a hug six to take his tally 477 and went ahead of Afridi’s tally of 476 sixes.