PRIME Minister and Minister of Sport Portia Simpson Miller has congratulated Jamaican and West Indies cricketer Chris Gayle on “a magnificent performance and for once again demonstrating his awesome talent as a batsman”.

Gayle on Tuesday set a new record for scoring the fastest century in professionnal cricket history when he scored a century off just 30 balls in the Indian Premier League.

Referring to Gayle as ‘the Bolt of cricket’, the prime minister said: “I am truly beaming with pride on his latest accomplishment, which I have no doubt will be a hard act to follow. If there was any doubt, Chris Gayle has now stamped his name in the cricket history books as a special and great batsman and a fine role model for our young and upcoming cricketers.”

Simpson Miller added that Gayle’s achievement is “a true test of what can be accomplished when passion is combined with determination and hard work”.

“With his talent and demonstrated capacity for success, it would not surprise me to see this brilliant cricketer continuing to break more records in the future,” the prime minister ended.