Chris Gayle was inspired by a Jamaican cricketer named Delroy Morgan

Image courtesy of: Zimbio

West Indies opener Chris Gayle is arguably the best big-hitting batsman the game has ever seen, but who served as an inspiration for the self-proclaimed ‘Universe Boss’?

According to Gayle, a Jamaican cricketer by the name of Delroy Morgan was the player who really inspired him.

Morgan, a right-handed batsman, featured in 62 first-class matches and scored 2,878 runs, which included three centuries and 14 half-centuries, at an average of 27.94.

He also played 39 List A games and accumulated 1,064 runs, which included a hundred and seven fifties, at an average of 29.55.

Even though Morgan never played international cricket, Gayle revealed that he used to skip school to watch him play for Lucas Cricket Club.

“I grew up with a lot of cricket happening around me in my city,” Gayle, who is currently playing in the World Cup Qualifiers in Zimbabwe, was quoted as saying by CricTracker. “I lived next to Lucas Cricket Club and I used to go and score the board and watch my older brother at that time. There were these two opening batsmen.

“One of whom was Delroy Morgan, who played first-class cricket but unfortunately never eventually went on to represent the country. So, I used to watch those two as a youngster, and then obviously as you get older you start watching international cricket. But it was them who got me started.”

Gayle also heaped praise on his family for encouraging him to chase after his dream of becoming a cricketer.

“My family inspired me to become a cricketer, to be honest. They all played cricket, so that kick-started my career,” he added.