"There has been a lot of pressure." Chris Gayle knew it, and he could feel it mounting as he strode towards the Manuka Oval pitch. If ever he was going to turn it around, this was his time.
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Within hours Gayle smashed 215 from just 147 balls to propel the West Indies to a 73-run triumph over Zimbabwe in the 2015 World Cup at Manuka Oval.
The master blaster cleared the rope 16 times in an effort that left rivals and punters feeling like he had activated a "bat out of hell" cheat code like those seen in the Ricky Ponting Cricket video game series.
Gayle had entered the World Cup with a crippling back injury, the pain of which would have paled in comparison to the criticism fired at the charismatic Caribbean king.
The president of the West Indies cricket board even went as far as to retweet a message calling for Gayle to be given a "retirement package" after he misfired in the early stages of their World Cup campaign.
Come game three, he retreated to the change rooms under the Bradman Stand with a swathe of new records to his name: highest World Cup score, third-highest ODI score, and fastest ODI double-century.
Perhaps the only forgettable part of his innings was the final ball, going down on one knee looking for another maximum before holing out to Elton Chigumbura off the bowling of Hamilton Masakadza.
Whatever his perceived attitude towards the game might be, however unconventional his stroke making is, Gayle's mesmerising talent simply cannot be understated.
He took the bull by the horns and became the first man to claim a remarkable triptych: 100 in a Twenty20 international, 200 in an ODI and 300 in a Test match.
This was the return of one of the world's most exciting batsman, one that managed to reinvent the wheel in more ways than one.
"This innings will ignite a lot of my passion. It's a new beginning. I am going to try and build on it as much as possible," Gayle said.
If the runs weren't enough, Gayle chipped in with two wickets in a reminder of his all-round ability - capping off his second appearance in the Manuka Magic countdown.
The Canberra Times is counting down 11 magical Manuka Oval cricket moments ahead of an historic Test match between Australia and Sri Lanka on February 1.
Got a magic Manuka memory that should be on the list? Let us know at sport@canberratimes.com.au
THE COUNTDOWN SO FAR
No. 2: Peerless Chris Gayle powers through pressure
