Chris Gayle

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Six Machine

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The closest football has to Chris Gayle is Zlatan Ibrahimovic, in terms of acts of preposterous genius

He's the cleanest ball-striker I've played with or against. To see him do what he does is phenomenal

It feels like at any time, somewhere, Chris Gayle is hitting someone for six. There is hardly a record he does not own. If you're a spectator sit back and smile, if you're an administrator just shrug, and if you're the opposition put your hands together and pray

When Gayle bats, fielders become spectators and spectators become fielders

I Don't Like Cricket ... I Love It

Chris Gayle is the only man to have ever hit a six off the first ball of a Test match. But then producing the impossible is an everyday act for the West Indies legend: the first man to smash an international T20 century, the first to hit a World Cup 200, the fastest century in the history of the game. Off the pitch he is even more flamboyant: he plays late, parties later, demolishes a king-size pile of pancakes and then strolls out to mangle another hapless bowling attack. 
 
But do we really know him? Do we know what took a shy, skinny kid from a cramped tin-roofed shack in the dusty back streets of Kingston to the very top of the cricket world - without losing himself along the way? A story not just of sporting genius but of battling prejudice, this unputdowneable memoir will leave you reeling. Welcome to the world of the Six Machine.

'If the ball's there, hit it. Don't worry about what might happen. Play for the glory. Play for the six' 
 
Chris Gayle is the only man to have ever hit a six off the first ball of a Test match. But then producing the impossible is an everyday act for the West Indies legend: the first man to smash an international T20 century, the first to hit a World Cup 200, the fastest century in the history of the game. He has hit twice as many T20 sixes as any other man and scored two Test triple centuries. All this is delivered with cricket's biggest bat and an even bigger smile. 
 
Off the pitch, millions follow him on Instagram and Twitter to catch a glimpse of a globe-trotting life spent in nightclubs as much as nets, hot-tubs as often as helmets and pads. He plays late, parties later, demolishes a king-size pile of pancakes and then strolls out to mangle another hapless bowling attack. 
 
But do we really know him? Do we know what took a shy, skinny kid from a cramped tin-roofed shack in the dusty back streets of Kingston, sharing a bed with three brothers and stealing empty bottles to buy food, to the very top of the cricket world - without losing himself along the way? 
 
Outrageous and utterly original, this unputdowneable memoir will leave you reeling. Welcome to the world of the Six Machine.

'If the ball's there, hit it. Don't worry about what might happen. Play for the glory. Play for the six' 
 
Chris Gayle is the only man to have ever hit a six off the first ball of a Test match. But then producing the impossible is an everyday act for the West Indies legend: the first man to smash an international T20 century, the first to hit a World Cup 200, the fastest century in the history of the game. He has hit twice as many T20 sixes as any other man and scored two Test triple centuries. All this is delivered with cricket's biggest bat and an even bigger smile. 
 
Off the pitch, millions follow him on Instagram and Twitter to catch a glimpse of a globe-trotting life spent in nightclubs as much as nets, hot-tubs as often as helmets and pads. He plays late, parties later, demolishes a king-size stack of pancakes and then strolls out to mangle another hapless bowling attack. 
 
But do we really know him? Do we know what took a shy, skinny kid from a cramped tin-roofed shack in the dusty back streets of Kingston, sharing a bed with three brothers and stealing empty bottles to buy food, to the very top of the cricket world? This is a story not just of sporting genius but of battling prejudice; of coming from nothing to everything and yet not losing yourself along the way. 
 
Outrageous and utterly original, this unputdowneable memoir will leave you reeling. Welcome to the world of the Six Machine. 
 
'It feels like at any time, somewhere, Chris Gayle is hitting someone for six' Guardian 
 
'He's a bowlers' nightmare' Viv Richards

Chris Gayle was born and raised in Kingston, Jamaica, the second youngest of seven children. Growing up where cricket was both the great obsession and the only escape, he was scoring centuries against adults from the age of 14 and made his West Indies 'A' team debut while still at school. 
 
A devastating opener, cunning spin bowler and tactical fanatic, he has made more international one-day centuries than Brian Lara, played more Test matches than Ian Botham and taken more Test catches than Clive Lloyd. Captaining the West Indies from 2007 to 2010, he is one of only four players in history to score two triple centuries at Test level. 
 
In the thrilling T20 game he is the great pioneer - highest score, highest average, most runs and, of course, twice as many sixes as anyone else. Nicknamed #WorldBoss, he has played for 16 teams in nine countries across five continents and is the most in-demand cricketer of the modern era.

Six Machine

I Don't Like Cricket ... I Love It

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