The 2012 Mirpur Test between West Indies and Bangladesh would have remained a rather forgettable match in the annals of Test cricket if you had taken out ball one of the Test. Having won the toss, West Indies opted to bat first on a placid surface against the hosts in the first Test of the series.
Bangladesh had ignored the likes of Nazimuddin, Elias Sunny and Abul Hasan from the starting XI, instead opting to give a debut to Sohag Gazi, the off-spinner. Such was Bangladesh’s trust in him that he was handed the new ball on the slow wicket, perhaps to counter a new-found chink in the armour of the strong West Indian opener, Chris Gayle.
He hadn’t declared himself as the Universe Boss yet at that time, but Gayle wasn’t one to sit back and take a dig at his weakness lightly. The southpaw stepped out to greet Gazi first ball and tonked it ever so casually over long-on for a maximum.
Chris Gayle is the first batsman in the history of Test cricket to hit the first ball of the match for six #testcricket
— ICC (@ICC) November 13, 2012
In none of the 2387 Test matches that have been played to date has another batsman hit a six off the first ball of a Test match. Gayle is a different kind of beast and if anything exemplifies it, this was it. He wasn’t done, though.
WATCH THE SIX HERE!
After a leg-bye fetched another four off the third ball of the over, Gayle smacked another six off the next ball, the fourth ball in the innings. He ended the over with a couple of runs, taking 18 off the opening over of a Test match.
Bangladesh, though, stuck to their plan and continued to target Gayle with Gazi. The move paid off sooner than they thought after the initial carnage as Gayle miscued a lofted shot off Gazi in the fifth over of the innings to gift a catch to long-off.